Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister for Logistics, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, confirmed that he is now acting as deputy commander of the Wagner group. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes about this in its report.
A Kremlin-linked military blogger published an interview on May 29 in which Mizintsev confirmed preliminary claims that he had taken office. He said he had maintained good relations with Wagner over the past 10 years, confirming reports that PIK financier Yevgeny Prigozhin used close ties to Mizintsev to secure mercenary resources when the Colonel General served in the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Mikhail Mizintsev claimed to be in Bakhmut supervising the relief operation on the ground and claimed that Wagner was conducting an organized troop withdrawal. The occupier praised the Wagner commanders and advocated that the structure and management should become a model for the total war that Russia should wage. Mizintsev declined to comment on the strife between the Russian Defense Ministry and PIK, but stressed that the Russian military is having trouble securing ammunition and conducting a large-scale mobilization of the Russian nation for victory in Ukraine.
ISW has previously assessed that Prigozhin likely appointed Mikhail Mizintsev as Wagner’s second-in-command in an attempt to keep mercenaries access to supplies, and Yevgeny Prigozhin has since been promoting him as a desirable replacement for Russian Defense Minister Shoigu. Mizintsev’s public confirmation of his position, experts add, is likely part of Prigogine’s broader effort to gain more influence after Bakhmut’s capture.
Earlier wrote that Russian opposition leader Gennady Gudkov announced a threat to Prigogine’s life.
Source: Fakty
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