METRO
Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of feared mercenary group Wagner, has called on Putin to end the conflict.
A leading Russian oligarch has called on Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of feared mercenary group Wagner, posted a statement on Telegram last night, in which he also warned the Russian president people may begin looking for a ‘scapegoat’ over military failures.
It’s the first time any of Putin’s henchmen have broken ranks to openly criticise Russia’s progress in the conflict, which after more than a year has seen thousands killed and millions displaced.
Prigozhin’s statements also come amid mounting evidence elites and the wider public in Russia may be losing their appetite for war.
He said: ‘For the authorities [of the Russian Federation […] and for society as a whole, it is necessary to put some kind of bold full stop in the ‘special military operation’.
‘The ideal option is to announce the end of the special military operation, to inform everyone that Russia has achieved the results that it planned, and in a sense, we have really achieved them.
‘We have ground a huge number of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and can report to ourselves that our task has been completed.
