In September, Yevgeny Prigokhine admitted to founding the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which is fighting in Ukraine in particular, after years of denial. “There have been quite noticeable changes that have been happening with Prigojine for the past few weeks,” explains Vera Ageeva, a political scientist specializing in Russia and a professor at Sciences Po, on BFMTV.
“They say that it comes out of the shadows, but above all it comes out of the control of the Kremlin,” he adds.
“A kind of parallel state that lives by its own rules”
“The fact that he has publicly accepted being the founder of Wagner is very new because for years he denied it. Because in Russia, in general, the activity of private military groups is prohibited, ”explains the political scientist.
“It means that he publicly opposes Russian law,” explains Vera Ageeva.
According to the political scientist, Yevgeny Prigokhine is “in the process of creating a kind of parallel state in Russia that lives by its own rules.” By way of illustration, the Wagner Group opened offices in St. Petersburg.
“The local authorities want to prevent the activity of this center, so it shows that the Russian elites are a bit embarrassed that there is a former criminal rising to power,” concludes Vera Ageeva.
Source: BFM TV
