Putin is in trouble, Prigozin’s son inherits father’s legacy

Yevgeny Prigozhin's 25-year-old son Pavel Prigozhin is set to take control of Russia's Wagner Group, according to reports.#WagnerGroup #Russia #worldnews pic.twitter.com/aWFCml2mAq

— Bnz English (@BnzEnglish) October 2, 2023

-

Putin is in trouble, Prigozin’s son inherits father’s legacy

Sunday October 22nd, 2023 at 9:06 AM

1 Share

[New Tang Dynasty Beijing time on October 3, 2023] The Kremlin released a video last week of President Putin meeting with Troshev, the former commander of the private mercenary Wagner . The latter was nicknamed " Grey Hair" and was considered to be Wagner's former commander . The "successor" of the former leader Prigozhin . However, Putin's efforts to regain control of Wagner were not smooth, and Prigozhin's son was one of the obstacles.

Putin said that Andrey Troshev will supervise and establish new volunteer combat units, mainly to perform combat missions in Ukraine.

The Institute for War Studies (ISW), a US think tank, stated on September 29 that Putin stated during his meeting with Troshev that he maintained a relationship with his former comrades, which further showed that the Russian Ministry of Defense was "trying to exploit Troshev's relationship with Wagner." .

The think tank pointed out that there are increasing reports that Wagner troops are fighting alongside the Russian Federation's internal security forces RosGvardia. After Wagner was disarmed, RosGvardia received most of its heavy weapons.

However, Putin's plan faces a huge challenge when Yevgeny Prigozhin's 25-year-old son Pavel Prigozhin inherited much of his wealth, including control of Wagner.

The unofficial Russian Telegram channel said that under the terms of Prigozhin's will, his assets and control of his business empire were bequeathed to Pavel . The channel Port claimed to have obtained a copy of Prigozhin's will and published an image of it. Photos show that Pavel will inherit about $120 million, a private army, a house in St. Petersburg, nine joint-stock companies and his father's shares in the Concord catering company.

Port also said Concord Restaurants signed frequently state contracts and reportedly owed Russian defense officials as much as $824 million, which Pavel would seek to recover.

The will was notarized in March, a few months before Wagner's armed rebellion. According to reports, the will requires Pavel to provide for his extended family. If Pavel dies, the property will be divided equally between Prigozhin's widow Lyubov, Pavel's two sisters and Prigozhin's grandson.

Prigozhin's official net worth is said to be only $146 million, but Russian opposition activist Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation estimates his net worth at about $20 billion.

On the same day that news of Prigozhin's will come out, GreyZone, a well-known Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel, announced that Pavel had taken over the “command” of the group with the assistance of Mikhail Vatanin, head of Wagner's security department. And talks are underway with the Russian National Guard about private troops rejoining the war in Ukraine.

The Institute for War Research said on October 1 that Wagner had "no clear unifying leader" and that Pavel's new influence only came after Putin met with Troshev last week and granted him leadership status. Some members of Wagner "reacted negatively" to Troshev's appointment .

Troshev left Wagner after the mutiny attempt and has been working at the Redut PMC under the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Ministry of Defense said that "many Wagner veterans tend to view him as a traitor."

The Institute for War Research said Pavel's move showed that a faction within Wagner supported a plan to replace Troshev, although the latter appeared to have the support of Putin and the Ministry of Defense.

"It is unclear how the Kremlin defines the relationship between Wagner and the Russian government," the institute added, but Putin's public support for Troshev and placing Wagner under the Defense Ministry are noteworthy. In any case, the Ministry of Defense must equip and supply a large reconstituted force under Ros Gvardia, who has no logistical infrastructure and cannot be self-sufficient.

(Comprehensive reporting by reporter Li Zhaoxi/Editor: Lin Qing)

URL of this article: <a href="https://cn.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/10/03/a103798267.html" rel="nofollow">https://cn.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/10/03/a103798267.html</a>