William Molinié, edited by Romain Rouillard 06:22, September 27, 2022

Evguéni Prigojine, a businessman close to the Kremlin, admitted on Monday that he founded the paramilitary group Wagner in 2014, suspected of various abuses in Mali, Syria and Libya.

Recently, he appeared in a video where he is seen recruiting Russian prisoners to join Wagner's ranks in Ukraine.

It is a revelation that does not suffer from any ambiguity.

This Monday, Yevgeny Prigojine, a businessman close to Vladimir Putin, admitted having founded the paramilitary group Wagner in 2014.

An organization which intends to defend Russian interests abroad but whose methods of intervention on the ground have aroused strong criticism. 

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It was actually an open secret since many Western powers but also the media had been claiming it for a long time.

But until now, no one within the regime had expressed it so clearly.

The man who is nicknamed "Putin's cook" - because his catering company supplied the Kremlin - is therefore out of the woods, a few days after the broadcast of a video on social networks where we see him recruiting Russian prisoners in destination of Wagner's ranks in Ukraine.

A troubled face

At 61, Evgeny Prigojine is one of the Russian personalities sanctioned by the European Union.

He is also wanted by the American FBI, which promises 250,000 dollars to anyone who helps in his arrest and appears to be one of the most troubled figures in the Putin system.

Accustomed to discretion, he very rarely appears in the media, hence the questions raised by these two outings a few days apart.

This is enough to see certain fractures within the Russian state apparatus itself, which is more so at a time when the partial mobilization campaign in Russia is slipping.

The Kremlin also recognized Monday "errors" in this regard. 

What ambitions behind this release

Several observers analyze this coming out of the shadows as Prigojine's desire to position himself as a potential successor to Vladimir Putin.

Even as a rival in the conduct of this war, which would mean that the master of the Kremlin is being pushed around by his radical wing.

The ultranationalists, to which the creator of Wagner belongs, resent the Russian retreat in Ukraine and want the fastest possible victory.

Whether with or without Vladimir Putin in charge.