Putin’s lieutenants show signs of ‘deep dysfunction’

Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks holding a Russian national flag in front of his soldiers in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Pic/AP

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken millionaire head of the private military contractor Wagner, stood in front of the bloodied bodies of his slain troops in Ukraine and yelled expletive-riddled insults at Russian military leaders, blaming them for the carnage.

"They came here as volunteers and they died to let you lounge in your red wood offices," Prigozhin shouted. "You are sitting in your expensive clubs, your children are enjoying good living and filming videos on YouTube. Those who don't give us ammunition will be eaten alive in hell!"

It was a disquieting display for Russians used to more than two decades of rigidly controlled rule by President Vladimir Putin - years with little sign of infighting among his top lieutenants. Prigozhin's rift with the military has been ignored by state-controlled TV, where most Russians get their news, although it is followed closely by the politically active, ultrapatriotic readers and viewers on social media networks.

Prigozhin's feud with military leaders goes back years, and it spilled into the open amid the fighting for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut that was spearheaded by his mercenaries.

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