Prigozhin 'Raises the Stakes' in Battle With Russian MoD: U.K.

Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has raised the stakes in his escalating feud with Russia's Defense Ministry, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Tuesday.

The MoD noted that, on June 19, Prigozhin said that he was expecting a reply from the Russian Defense Ministry regarding a "contract" of his own drafting, which he had delivered to the ministry three days before.

Prigozhin on June 10 was ordered by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to sign contracts directly with the defense ministry with a July 1 deadline. This move, which affects all "volunteer formations" in the country, was explicitly endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on national television three days later, and quickly shut down by the Wagner Group chief.

But, on June 16, Prigozhin visited Russia's Defense Ministry and attempted to deliver a contract that he had drafted himself.

"Although the content of Prigozhin's document has not been made public, the act of him delivering it raises the stakes, and is highly likely another deliberate effort to undermine the authority of the official military authorities," the MoD said in its latest analysis of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The U.K.'s intelligence update said Prigozhin's tone towards Russia's Defense Ministry has become "unambiguously confrontational."

"The MoD almost certainly sees this as deeply unfortunate at a time when it is grappling with Ukraine's counteroffensive," it added.

Last week, Prigozhin published a video showing him pay a visit to Russia's Defense Ministry.

"I just attempted to hand over the letter to the Minister of Defense. They are not accepting the letter. So now we will make it public," Prigozhin said in the clip.

"Right now, it's 1:22 p.m. I've arrived to hand over the documents to the Minister of Defense Shoigu Sergei. And, specifically, two copies of the agreement signed from my side. With my signatures," Prigozhin added.

"Unfortunately, the woman got scared. I feel sorry for her. She's under strong restrictions, slammed the window and ran away," Prigozhin said. "The letter is not being accepted. I came here personally, came with my identification of the Hero of Russia, so there'd be no questions of who I am."

In a message posted via his press service's Telegram channel on Sunday, Prigozhin said he is still awaiting a reply from the defense ministry. "We are waiting for an official response. As soon as it arrives, we will publish it," he added.

Prigozhin's Wagner Group played a critical role in Russia's efforts to seize the industrial town of Bakhmut in Ukraine's eastern region. He ramped up public criticism of Russia's military leadership, including Shoigu, before his troops withdrew from Bakhmut this month. He has accused the defence minister of intentionally depriving his fighters of ammunition and support.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, said he believes Shoigu's order "may be a consequence of his conflict with Prigozhin and an attempt to take Wagner operatives under his control."

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