One of the founders of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, asked State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin not to extend the amendments on punishment for “discrediting participants in a special operation” to the top command staff of the Russian Defense Ministry and the command staff of his PMC. A request for official permission for criticism was published by his press service on Telegram.
Prigogine said that this is necessary for the command staff to fulfill their powers, otherwise any “public and constructive criticism” of their actions could become a reason for prosecution.
Earlier, Volodin said that the State Duma had been amended in the Criminal Code, according to which criticism of military personnel and mercenaries who went to fight in Ukraine could face a term of up to 15 years in prison or fines of up to 5 million rubles or in the amount of wages, or other income of a person convicted of period up to five years, or correctional or forced labor up to five years. The final reading is scheduled for March 14.
Wagner PMC fighters openly criticize the command of the Russian Federation, and also use obscene language against the generals in social networks. At the end of December, the fighters published a video message to the head of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov: “To the Chief of the General Staff: you are a f*ck and damn it. We have nothing to fight with, we have no shells. There, the guys are dying for us, and we are sitting here, fucking not helping. We need shells, we want to f*ck everyone. We are fighting here near Bakhmut against the entire Ukrainian army.”
Prigozhin himself addressed Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, accusing them of undersupply of weapons, as follows: “Why don’t Wagner PMCs give ammunition? <…> Because a handful of near-military functionaries decided that this was their country, that this was their people, they decided that this people would die when it was convenient for them, when they liked it .” He suggested equating their actions with treason. This is not the first conflict and struggle for influence between PMCs and the military department. In January, Prigozhin and the Ministry of Defense argued over the capture of Soledar. The head of the PMC stated that the city was taken by the Wagnerites, the Ministry of Defense, in turn, claimed that not only PMC mercenaries were participating in the battles.