Wagner's Prigozhin Looks to Punch His Meal Ticket in Soledar

The financier of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group has a stake in the outcome of the ongoing battle for Soledar, according to experts, as the town in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region continues to see heavy fighting.

Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner forces have been involved in the effort to capture Soledar, as well as the nearby city of Bakhmut. Though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Soledar was "holding out" against Russian attacks, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote in its daily intelligence update on Ukraine on Tuesday that Russian forces and Wagner troops had made tactical advances into Soledar over the past few days and are now "likely in control of most of the settlement."

Prigozhin is touting reports of Wagner's success in Soledar to bolster its "reputation as an effective fighting force," the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S. think tank, wrote in its most recent update on the war.

"Prigozhin emphasized on January 9 that 'exclusively' Wagner Group units are taking ground in Soledar, and noted that Wagner fighters are currently engaged in 'fierce battles for the city administration building,'" the ISW wrote.

The update added that Prigozhin "will continue to use both confirmed and fabricated Wagner Group success in Soledar and Bakhmut to promote the Wagner Group as the only Russian force in Ukraine capable of securing tangible gains."

The Wagner Group's success in Ukraine operations, such as seizing Soledar, has financial and political implications for Prigozhin, according to experts.

"Prigozhin has to get results in order to get paid. To continue to get more work, he has to continue to show results," Dan Soller, a former U.S. Army intelligence colonel, told Newsweek.

The importance of Russia's fights for both Soledar and Bakhmut, which experts believe offer little tactical benefit, can be seen in terms of their "political weight," said William Reno, a professor and chair of the political science department at Northwestern University.

"Prigozhin stakes his political fortunes on the promise of Wagner's performance in this fight," Reno told Newsweek.

Retired U.S. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges previously told Newsweek that Prigozhin's credibility, as well as the credibility of the Wagner Group, is at stake in the Bakhmut battle.

Though he has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin has been openly critical of Russian military failures in Ukraine. In particular, he criticized the Russian Defense Ministry and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over their handling of the war.

Michael Kimmage, a history professor at the Catholic University of America, told Newsweek that Moscow's government does not have a "rational, coherent system" with an obvious chain of command.

"You have this kind of dogfight within the Russian government for resources and for status and prestige in Putin's eyes," Kimmage said.

Kimmage said that he believes Prigozhin is trying to "claim whatever good news can be generated" and "paint himself the hero" in contrast to Russia's overall faltering performance in the war.

Newsweek reached out to Prigozhin via his catering company, Concord, for comment.