– Pandora’s box is already open. We haven’t opened it. Some “Kremlin towers” have decided to play dangerous games.

So says the leader of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a voice message on Telegram SATURDAY.

Here he claims that an unnamed faction within the Kremlin is trying to create discord between him and the Chechen forces.

If they continue, they “will pay hell”, he still warns.

– Dangerous games

In the message, the founder of the Wagner Group claims that there was a disagreement between him and the Chechen forces, but further claims that these have now been resolved.

According to Prigozhin, it is the factions of the Kremlin, which he therefore calls the “Kremlin towers”, which are to blame for these disagreements.

He also claims that this faction’s planning went so far that Putin had to scold them at a Security Council meeting.

– Dangerous games have become commonplace in the towers of the Kremlin… They only destroy the Russian state, says Prigozhin.

The Kremlin has so far not commented on these statements.

Constant attacks

He also made several other statements on Saturday, then directed at Russian defense and its ability to defend the Russian border town of Belgorod.

On Friday, he also accused the Russian military of trying to publicly punish Wagner’s soldiers by undermining the route they were taking to retreat from Bakhmut.

In light of these statements, Tom Røseth, Senior Intelligence Lecturer and Head of Ukraine Program at the Norwegian Defense Academy (FHS), said the following about what Prigozhin can afford to criticize and accuse against senior Russian leaders:

– I think Prigozhin knows that he has a lot of leeway. Indeed, the Wagner Group is an important tool for Russia in the conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. Thanks to the Wagner group, Russia manages to promote its interests. In this sense, Prigozhin has a lot to do with Putin.

Røseth added at the same time that there were signs that could be about to change.

Putin’s dilemma

Criticized by Kadyrov’s men

On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Chechen forces had launched an offensive near the town of Marinka in the Donetsk region.

Earlier this week, Ramzan Kadyrov, the acting head of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, also said Chechen forces have been given primary responsibility for the Donetsk front in the east of the country.

At the same time, the feud between the two groups of mercenaries continued.

Two of Kadyrov’s closest men, Adam Delimkhano and Magomed Daudov, posted videos on Telegram on Thursday in which they made derogatory statements about the Wagner boss.

– Crosses all borders

Delimkhanov directly addressed Prigozhin, who he said “only complains about problems,” in a video message.

– If you do not understand, you can contact us and give us a time and place. Then we can explain what you don’t understand, Delimkhanov said.

– You have become a blogger who shouts and yells at the whole world about all the problems. Stop the shouting and screaming, he continued.