Yevgeny Prigojin, head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, called on Russia on Saturday to declare the objectives of the “special military operation” in Ukraine fulfilled and prepare for a decisive battle with the Ukrainian army.
“It is necessary for the Russian authorities and society in general to end the special military operation”wrote Prigojin in an article published on the social network Telegram, quoted by the Spanish agency EFE.
Prigojin is seen as an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but has publicly clashed with the leadership of the Russian armed forces, including Defense Minister Gen. Serguei Shoigu, over the war in Ukraine.
Ideally, Prigojin said in Saturday’s message, it would “announce that Russia has achieved its intended results.”
“In theory, Russia has already put an end to this by exterminating a large part of Ukraine’s active male population and intimidating another part, which has fled to Europe,” he said.
Prigojin said that Russia had succeeded in capturing the Sea of Azov and much of the Black Sea.
It also took a “juicy part of Ukraine’s territory” and created a land corridor to the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Russia must “strengthen itself and cling tooth and nail to the territories it already owns,” and not enter into any deal with Ukraine, with which it can only fight, he defended.
“And if we come out of this battle badly, that’s fine. Russia’s fortified regions won’t allow them to [aos ucranianos] enter the territory of the country,” he said.
In summary, the businessman and head of the Wagner Group noted that the Ukrainians are ready for an offensive, and the Russians are ready to repel it.
“The best scenario to heal Russia so that it becomes a more powerful state is an offensive by the armed forces of Ukraine, making concessions and negotiations impossible,” he considered.
Then “either Ukraine’s armed forces will be crushed in open battle, or Russia will heal its wounds, build its armed forces and again defeat its opponents,” he added.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 sparked a war that plunged Europe into the worst security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Ukraine has relied on the supply of weapons from its Western allies to fight Russian forces.
Kiev’s allies have also imposed successive economic sanctions on Moscow to try to reduce Russia’s ability to fund Ukraine’s war effort.
The number of victims of the warring factions in Ukraine is not known, but several sources have admitted that it will be high.
Source: DN
