In its latest update, the Institute for the Study of War said Russian-controlled mercenary Wagner Group financier and affiliated social media accounts are increasingly criticizing the Russian military and societal issues in Russia, which "may indirectly undermine the Kremlin's rule."
Wagner Group financier Yevheny Prigozhin claims to be fully sponsoring Wagner troops fighting Ukraine in Donetsk Oblast, contradicting claims that Russia's proxies in the oblast are operating there, according to the ISW.
"Prigozhin’s narratives have the ingredients to appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nationalist constituency that has long called for oligarchs to finance supplies for the armed forces, demanded transparency about what is really going on at the front, and criticized Russian higher military institutions for their failures on the frontlines," the ISW wrote.
