Former employee of the British military intelligence Philip Ingram suggests that the likely successor of Vladimir Putin will be the founder of the private military company "Wagner", businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Ingram expressed this opinion for Sky News.

Explaining the changes in the top military leadership, the former intelligence officer believes that Putin

has increased the role of the Ministry of Defense and is trying to reduce the influence of Prigozhin,

who is "doing his own thing."

However, it is he who has a direct connection with Putin, and also often criticizes both Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the new commander of the Russian troops, Gerasimov.

"It is Prigozhin's troops that take part in all the battles we hear about around Bakhmut and Soledar. 

But he has a direct connection with Vladimir Putin.

He should, strictly speaking, be working under military command, but he seems to be minding his own business. 

He heads a lot of different areas.

He is also a potential successor to Putin," he said.

"Wagnerian" mercenaries in Ukraine

We will remind, at the end of December 2022, the head of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Budanov, stated that Surovikin joined Prigozhin to oppose the head of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu.

That is why the "Wagner" units so fanatically tried to capture Bakhmut.

According to Russian oppositionist Andriy Piontkovsky, the private armies of Prigozhin, Kadyrov and Shoigu are preparing for a civil war in the Russian Federation over the redistribution of property.

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