In the Kremlin, a very serious internal political struggle is unfolding between the top - Putin's supporters - and the military-political community - the PMC "Wagner" party. One of them is for a draw, the other for surrender.

This opinion was expressed by Russian political scientist Andrei Piontkovsky to the TV channel "Freedom".

"Prigozhin says that it was not we who invented this 'special operation'. This is a direct attack on Putin. It is led by the group that realized that the war was lost and defeat was inevitable, but one must somehow remain in power after the war and after defeat. It is impossible to stay in power with Putin.

They are already producing Prigozhin through the mouth and offering society such a narrative - we fought heroically, took Bakhmut, but traitors in the General Staff, the Ministry of Defense, traitors in Rublyovka stabbed us in the back. We had to lose, we had to retreat. Let's now deal with traitors and punish them," the political scientist said.

The party of the founder of PMC "Wagner" promotes capitulation in Russian society. According to Piontkovsky, they used the attack on Moscow to push the Russians to end the war.

"Look at the unexpected explosion of emotions caused by the attack of Ukrainian drones by Rublyovka. Up to 90% of social networks express, if not admiration, then complete satisfaction – so they need. And this party of Prigogine - "the party of honorable surrender" - is directing its fire there," he stressed.

The second party is Putin's party. She opposes a draw.

"Putin, with the help of peacekeepers, wants to gain a foothold in some piece of Ukrainian territory and sell it to the 'deep people' as an honorable draw. But this is impossible with the current position of Ukraine and the Western community," the political scientist summed up.

As previously reported, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War believe that the head of PMC Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has escalated hostility with the Russian Ministry of Defense in order to downplay his conflict with Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.

Read also:

• Preparing for elections?: Prigozhin went on a tour of Russia
• Prigozhin vs the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation: the leader of the "Wagnerites" calls for an investigation into the crimes of Russian officials
• Putin began to destroy Prigogine in the media
• In Russia, "showdowns" between associates of Prigozhin and Kadyrov: remembered how they fought against each other