JRL NEWSWATCH: “Man vs. Myth: Is Russia’s Prigozhin a Threat or Asset to Putin?” – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace/ Tatiana Stanovaya
“The Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is visibly transforming into a full-fledged politician with his own views, which are nothing short of revolutionary.”
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought unprecedented infamy to Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group. … while debate rages over how close he really is to … Putin, what privileges he enjoys, and even whether he harbors presidential ambitions. Any success for Prigozhin is seen as proof of his might and glittering future, while every failure is seen as a sign of his imminent downfall. … Prigozhin is still only acting as a private individual. His relationship with the state is informal … and could end without warning. Prigozhin has never been close enough to Putin to be trusted with anything on a state level. … As long as Putin is relatively strong and capable of maintaining the balance between various groups of influence, Prigozhin is not dangerous. But the slightest change could prompt Prigozhin to challenge the authorities: perhaps not Putin himself, at first. War makes monsters of men, and their recklessness and desperation can become a challenge to the state ….”