Closing ranks. A mercenary from Russia’s notorious Wagner Group describes his realisation that the real enemy he faced in Ukraine was Russia’s military leadership — Novaya Gazeta Europe
novayagazeta.eu
Things have been rather quiet for Fyodor Ogarkov (not his real name) since the failure of the June mutiny orchestrated by the late Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. The 34-year-old businessman, father-of-two, and erstwhile Wagner mercenary has found himself on extended leave, during which he agreed to explain to Novaya-Europe how a self-proclaimed patriot who went to fight in Ukraine “for the children” ended up marching on Moscow in an attempt to overthrow Russia’s Defence Minister.

Ogarkov decided to go to war at the beginning of the year, and applied to the military for a contract. He had been thinking about enlisting to serve in the so-called “special military operation” for a while, he says, clarifying that he had wanted to do so “for the children”.

“I’d been watching broadcasts from Ukraine, with the constant calls to kill Russian children, so that’s what made me decide to go,” he explains, though when asked to cite a case in which Russian children had been slaughtered, he admitted he was unable to. However, there were many examples both on TV and social media, he added.

  • machinin@lemmy.world
    10·
    2 years ago

    Ogarkov maintains that the Wagner rank-and-file were never against Putin, and even trots out the “good tsar, evil advisers” argument when he says that Shoigu ensured the Russian president didn’t receive accurate information about the course of the war.

    Interesting that internally it was portrayed as a march against Shoigu. I had always heard the match was against Putin. I wonder why Putin holds Shoigo so dear.

    • bouh@lemmy.world
      71·
      2 years ago

      It was never about Putin. Shoigu and Prigozhin were against eachother, probably fighting to be the only heir of Putin.

      • yata@sh.itjust.works
        6·
        2 years ago

        That is a moot point. Regardless of Prigozhins intent, it was most definitely about Putin as well, because you don’t perform armed rebellion against one of Putins ministers without signalling that the person who appointed that minister was wrong as well. These people doesn’t exist in a power vacuum, especially not in a authoritarian regime like Russia.

        • Windex007@lemmy.world
          42·
          2 years ago

          If you’re running under the story that his “advisors are evil” and Putin was being insulated, then you can absolutely sell it as essentially a hostage rescue.

          It’s not a moot point, and the proof is self evident: there was a prevailing belief among the mutineers that Putin was good while they marched to Moscow.

          Just like it’s self evident that Russian propeganda convinced this guy that he had to join to protect Russian children.

          Trying to armchair any of this has pretty limited value at the best of times, but picking up all of the context and communication relating to the reality constructed around the agents involved and dumping it in the trash first only makes the armchair takes even worse.

    • Jaytreeman@kbin.social
      41·
      2 years ago

      Western media was pushing the anti Putin thing really hard. It never had anything to do with Putin.

      I remember distinctly how during the second Iraq war how easy it was to see through misinformation. It’s not easy anymore. I’m curious if anyone else has noticed this.