Claims that Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin plans to launch political party

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the infamous Wagner Group is reported to be on the verge of forming his own political party to compete in Russian politics.

According to media reports, Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is thinking of forming some kind of ‘conservative movement’ which could ultimately turn into a political party. This was suggested by Meduza on Tuesday, November 15, citing two sources close to the Kremlin and familiar with the mercenary boss.

This movement would allegedly rely on ‘patriotism and statehood’ they said, and will be engaged in constant criticism of Russian officials and businessmen. His recent ‘anti-elite rhetoric’ has surely been no accident.

According to Meduza’s sources, Prigozhin came up with this idea, among other things, after observing the activities of Alexei Navalny’s team, which regularly releases investigations into corruption. This information was apparently confirmed to the media outlet by a source close to the St. Petersburg authorities.

“Prigozhin grasps quickly and learns quickly. He can present himself as a person from the people who demand equality”, said one of Meduza’s interlocutors.

The sources added that in addition to the ‘anti-elite’ Prigozhin plans to use a ‘revanchist’ agenda: “A sense of revenge for military failures will be cultivated – then we will win back anyway. Well, who is to blame for the fact that we did not reach Kyiv and conditionally handed over Kherson? Yes, the same elite”.

Meduza’s sources also said that Yevgeny Prigozhin could be called the ‘junior partner’ of the Kovalchuk brothers in this project. They are businessmen close to Vladimir Putin. Together with Prigozhin, the Kovalchuks have been fighting St.Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov for more than a year, although they had previously helped him. 

The reason for the conflict was contracts for the implementation of large-budget projects in the city. Not so long ago, Prigozhin even filed two applications against Beglov with the Prosecutor General’s Office. In them, he asked for an investigation into allegations about the alleged creation of a criminal community by the governor and his possible treason. 

Prigozhin is ‘one of the tools of the Kovalchuks’, claimed the sources, explaining that they wanted to show Putin that they can be one of the ‘main operators in the country’s politics. For them, this is a tool for working in the patriotic segment, as well as intimidating and demoralising the elite so that it does not even think of ‘jumping’ from the president”.

Previously, Meduza reported that before the 2021 State Duma elections, the Kovalchuks ‘patronised’ the New People party, which eventually made it to parliament. Around the same time, Prigozhin had similar political projects: the businessman planned to gain control over the Rodina party, but in the end, the presidential administration decided that this party did not need to be developed.

Since the outbreak of the war, however, Prigozhin has been in constant contact with Putin and ‘can get through to him’. Meduza’s interlocutors emphasised though that they did not know whether the founder of the Wagner PMC had discussed his political career with the president. At the same time, they noted that Prigozhin may well receive ‘sanctions’ from the Kremlin for this.

“You have to understand that this is a niche project, designed for the ultra-patriotic majority, which at the same time does not support the authorities in everything and is critical of the elite, officials and business”, concluded the source, adding that Prigozhin’s growing influence is already worrying some high-ranking officials.

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