Initially, the armies of "Putin's cook" Yevgeny Prigozhin, and the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, were created to suppress potential uprisings in Russia. However, the Kremlin also used them during the war against Ukraine. Andriy Chernyak, the representative of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, told RBC - Ukraine about this.
"Prigozhin and Kadyrov are people who, to preserve Putin's power, have the right to create their own armies. These armies were created primarily to suppress any potential uprisings within Russia," Andriy Chernyak explained.
The role of Kadyrovites
According to the representative of the Defence Intelligece, the demonstration of "well-trained and brave" Kadyrovites is primarily aimed at the Russian public.
For example, today, in the full-scale war against Ukraine, Kadyrovites are used at the front as "blocking units" that prevent mobilized or other soldiers from retreating. That is, the main task of Kadyrov's army is to intimidate the Russians.
Today, Kadyrov residents are mostly concentrated in the south.
The role of "Wagner" PMC
"Wagnerites" are currently deployed in the east, particularly in the Donetsk region. Prigozhin's army consists of former fighters of Russian special forces who are not novices in planning operations.
At the same time, due to the mobilization of convicts, and the lack of proper training and motivation, the "Wagners" cannot effectively carry out either offensive or defensive actions.
The conflict between Shoigu and Prigozhin
All funds that should be directed to the social security of Russians go to finance the armies of Kadyrov and Prigozhin.
From the very beginning, the "Wagner" PMC was created as a project of the GRU of the Russian General Staff. Still, as a result of the conflict between the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, and Prigozhin over the supply of food, the latter began repeatedly criticizing the minister.