JABAR EKSPRES – Even before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, there were rumors of political rivalries within Russia’s inner circle of power.
It wasn’t about President Vladimir Putin fighting the opposition, but among his own closest associates, especially the siloviki.
Siloviki are government officials with a background in defense, security and law enforcement, particularly intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
Since Vladimir Putin came to power in the late 1990s, siloviki have filled key posts in the Russian power system, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, FSB Intelligence Service Chief Alexander Bortnikov and Foreign Intelligence Service Chief Sergei Naryshkin.
As it turned out, the rivalry involved also taking place between the siloviki and Putin’s non-siloviki confidants, in particular Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Prigozhin, who is often called “Putin’s cook” because his catering company is subscribed to by the Kremlin, is Putin’s confidant who leads the Wagner Group mercenary force that not only plays a prominent role in Ukraine, but also Georgia, Syria and Africa.
Prigozhin is said to enjoy the sympathies of both the Russian armed forces and figures within the Defense Ministry and intelligence agencies, including the Military Intelligence Service (GRU).
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However, last week Prigozhin rebelled after months of being irritated by the way the military brass was waging war in Ukraine.
He often complained about being left to fight alone without weapons supplies. To top it off, he was disappointed with the Wagner Group’s proposed integration into the Russian armed forces.
What Prigozhin did reveals a battle of influence and power between people in Putin’s inner circle, not just between Prigozhin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Armed Forces Commander General Valery Gerasimov, but beyond.
But what Prigozhin is doing is like deja vu because situations like this have happened many times in the history of Russian power, including the Soviet era.
