Several drones have apparently attacked Moscow. Mercenary chief Prigozhin uses the opportunity to settle accounts with his enemies in the Russian power apparatus.
On Tuesday morning, Moscow was reportedly attacked by several drones. The Russian government spoke of eight drones, all of which had been destroyed. Russian media had previously spoken of 25 unmanned aerial vehicles.
The head of the Russian Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, sharply criticized the Russian military leadership after the attacks. “You stinking bastards, what are you doing?” Prigozhin rumbles in an audio recording on his Telegram channel. What is meant are “bureaucrats who enjoy a great life” and the Russian Defense Ministry, which is often the target of Prigozhin’s attacks.
“Get your bums out of your offices”
“Why the hell do you allow these drones to fly to Moscow? If they fly to your houses in Rublevka, let your houses burn. But what should ordinary citizens do when armed drones fly into their windows?” Rublevka is an area west of Moscow known for its many luxury villas and exorbitant land prices.
Prigozhin also addresses the Russian Defense Ministry directly, which he has repeatedly criticized in the past for waging the war in Ukraine: “You assholes. Get your bums out of your offices and defend this country. You are the Defense Ministry. You have done nothing , to move forward.”
Citizens have “every right” to ask questions
The Wagner boss has tightened his rhetoric in recent weeks. In particular, Prigozhin accuses Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valeri Gerasimov of the sluggish progress of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prigozhin blames the Russian military leadership above all for the lack of ammunition that his mercenaries faced in the battle for Bakhmut.
In his interviews, Prigozhin increasingly brings up the suffering of “ordinary soldiers” and Russian citizens and rails against the alleged power elite in Moscow. At times his tantrums come across as calls for rebellion.
In the current voice recording, too, Prigozhin whispers that people have “every right” to ask “the scum” (the rich bureaucrats) how the attack happened. “I have already warned against this, but nobody wants to listen,” said Prigozhin.
