Wagner boss openly defies Kremlin Ukraine 'Nazi' narrative

The boss of the notorious Wagner mercenary force has openly contradicted key aspects of the Kremlin's narrative about the Ukraine war, according to the US-based Insitute for the Study of War (ISW). 

Yevgeny Prigozhin denied claims Russia is fighting NATO and questioned whether there are actually Nazis in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has repeatedly justified its invasion of its neighbour as necessary to purge Kyiv of neo-Nazis, who threaten the peace and security of Russia, despite there being little evidence of this.

In parallel, it has increasingly pitched the war as an existential struggle against NATO, which they claim is butting up against Russia's borders. 

Prigozhin said Moscow is fighting “exclusively with Ukrainians” equipped with NATO-provided equipment and some “Russophobic” mercenaries who voluntarily support Ukraine - but not NATO itself, said the ISW on Thursday. 

He expressed doubt about “denazification” objectives in Ukraine, unsure “Nazis” were in the country, while "effectively rejecting" the long-standing Kremlin claims that Russia needs to defend itself against a NATO threat. 

"It is ridiculous to think" that Russian officials did not know NATO would come to Kyiv's aid, the ISW quoted Prigozhin as saying. 

Once a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin's, the paramilitary unit which includes former convicts in its ranks has become increasingly conspicuous on the battlefield in Ukraine, with Prigozhin appearing to challenge the conventional Russian army on several occasions.

Independent Russian outlets have speculated that Prigozhin might have political ambitions of his own in mind.

Wagner troops have been engaged in a gritty, tooth-and-claw struggle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, which is believed to have