Vladimir Putin allegedly trying to control close ally due to 'fears' he could be a threat to leadership

Despite the successes of the mercenary Wagner group on the battlefield, the Kremlin is allegedly trying to prevent the founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, from gaining too much political popularity in Russia.

Prigozhin's potential political career a threat

Prigozhin has become popular in Russian media for publicly criticising Russia’s top military leaders and taking all the credit for successes in the battlefield. As a result, it was thought that he may be looking for a career in politics.

In response, it seems the Kremlin has sprung into action to quash such rumours, demanding Prigozhin stop publicly criticising the defence ministry and the state media stop mentioning him or Wagner by name.

Sergei Markov, a pro-Putin political analyst and former Kremlin adviser who features regularly on Russian state television, told the New York Times that officials had said 'don’t excessively promote Prigozhin and Wagner'.

He added:

It was a request from the leadership, and not just to me. They apparently don’t want to bring him into the political sphere because he’s so unpredictable — they fear him a little bit.

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Prigozhin's relationship with Kremlin is weakening

Last week, Prigozhin claimed he had also lost the right to recruit convicts from prisons. This strategy was one of the key ways he gained political influence and one which has assisted his army get closer and closer to capturing the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

Indeed, it has been reported that Wagner's 50,000 strong forces are being ordered to withdraw from Ukraine and will be replaced instead with as many as 300,000 regular soldiers.

Tatiana Stanovaya, a veteran Kremlin scholar, wrote in a paper for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that, Prigozhin's relationship with the presidential administration was starting to weaken:

The domestic policy overseers don't like his political demagogy, his attacks on official institutions, or his attempts to troll Putin's staff by threatening to form a political party, which would be a headache for everyone in the Kremlin.

He hasn't just become a public figure; he is visibly transforming into a full-fledged politician with his own views.

Markov told Reuters:

The position of the (Kremlin) political bloc is not to let him into politics. They are a little afraid of him and find him an inconvenient person.

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Prigozhin makes a pledge to the Kremlin

Prigozhin allegedly promised the Kremlin he would not create his own political movement or join a parliamentary party unless asked to do so by them, according to Markov. He said:

(The message) is we will give you military resources, but do not get involved in politics for now.

And it seems he's listening to the Kremlin's 'advice'. Prigozhin told a Russian interviewer on Friday 10 February that he had 'zero' political ambitions. In the rare interview, he also made it clear that he wasn't criticising anyone.

Sources used:

- Reuters: 'Kremlin moves to rein in Russian mercenary boss Prigozhin'

- New York Times: 'Wagner Founder Has Putin’s Support, but the Kremlin’s Side-Eye'

- Mirror: 'Vladimir Putin pulls Wagner Group troops from Ukraine as Kremlin 'fears coup'