Wagner Boss Excoriates Moscow, Says Ukraine Invasion Fell Short of Objectives

The head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has sharply rebuked leaders in Moscow on May 23 saying Russia’s 15-month-long invasion of Ukraine had failed to achieve its primary aims. A private military company with close ties to the Kremlin, the Wagner Group has led much of the fighting in Ukraine, especially in the eastern Donbas region. Prigozhin, known for his biting criticisms of Russia’s military establishment, made the claims in an interview with Konstantin Dolgov, a popular pro-Kremlin blogger. Weapons and other military hardware delivered by the U.S. military at Boryspil Airport near Kyiv, in Boryspil, Ukraine, on Jan. 25, 2022. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images) After expounding his views on the factors that led to the conflict, Prigozhin reiterated the invasion’s chief aims, one of which was the “demilitarization” of Ukraine....