The chief of Russian paramilitary organisation Wagner has responded to comparisons made between him and Rasputin.
Referencing an article in the Financial Times which likened him to the historic Russian mystic, Yevgeny Prigozhin – the founder of Wagner – appeared to gloat about his intentions.
“I am not very familiar with the history of Rasputin, but as far as I know, an important quality of Rasputin is that he staunched the blood flow of the young prince with incantations”, Prigozhin’s press service quoted as his response.
Grigori Rasputin was a Russian mystic and religious figure who befriended the royal family of Tsar Nicholas II, Russia’s final emperor before the dynasty was overthrown during the Russian Revolution.
He gained notable influence over the Royal Family, acting as a faith healer for Nicholas and wife Alexandra’s son, Alexei – the “young prince” referenced by Prigozhin - who suffered from haemophilia, a bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly.
“Unfortunately, I do not staunch blood flow. I bleed the enemies of our motherland. And not by incantations, but by direct contact with them”, Prigozhin furthered.
The Wagner Group is also known as PMC Wagner and is a Russian paramilitary organisation operating as a private military company. Effectively a de facto private army of Russian President Vladimir Putin, it has fought in Syria, Libya and the Central African Republic.
Notably, Wagner is being deployed in Ukraine, recruiting top military officers, former spies and convicts. After Putin initially deployed troops to Ukraine, Prigozhin offered freedom to thousands of imprisoned men, recruiting them to serve in battle.
On Friday 22 January, the US further announced its intentions to label Wagner a “transnational criminal organisation”, allowing it to impose fresh sanctions against the paramilitary group.
“[It is] committing atrocities and human rights abuses in Ukraine and elsewhere”, national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters, quoting that approximately 80% of Wagner troops deployed to Ukraine are derived from prisons. He added that there are now around 50,000 Wagner mercenaries in Ukraine.
Mr Prigozhin has been sanctioned by Western nations for his role in Wagner, whose motto is “Blood, honour, Motherland, courage.”
