Prigozhin Has 'Lost Definitively' in His Dispute With Shoigu: Igor Girkin

Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has "lost definitively" in his dispute against Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, former Russian commander Igor Girkin recently said.

Prigozhin's Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization comprised largely of Russian convicts, has fought alongside Russian troops amid the invasion of Ukraine, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin last February. The Wagner Group has played a critical role in Moscow's efforts to win control of the town of Bakhmut in Eastern Ukraine

However, relations between Prigozhin and Shoigu—who has faced criticism from some pro-Russian military experts as the Ukraine invasion stalls—have frayed in recent months.

Prigozhin has repeatedly accused Shoigu of intentionally depriving his troops of ammunition and support, and has pulled his troops from Bakhmut. Meanwhile, Shoigu has decided all voluntary soldiers fighting with Russia would be required to sign a formal contract with the Russian Federation by July 1, including the Wagner Group, which Prigozhin has rejected.

Girkin, who rose to prominence during Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and was found guilty last year of participating in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, said he believes Putin has recently weighed in on the matter.

The Russian leader has sided with Shoigu, ruling that Prigozhin must listen to the defense minister's commands, Girkin said in recent remarks that were translated and posted to Twitter on Sunday by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

"We can say that now it is very likely, based on the fact that after the meeting with the president, which apparently took place yesterday or the day before, Prigozhin is silent and has lost definitively and irrevocably," he added.

Girkin said Prigozhin will "likely" try to delay the execution of any orders requiring him to obey Shoigu, even if those mandates come from Putin himself, because the Wagner Group leader believes Russia may still rely on his forces to make progress in Ukraine.

"If the enemy still breaks through the front line and the question of the urgent need to more large reserves to the place of the breakthrough arises, it may happen that they will go to Prigozhin and say, 'There is no way without you, on any terms, move forward. And he will be back on top again," he said.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment via email.

Putin has previously endorsed Shoigu's effort to have voluntary troops sign contracts directly with the defense ministry and reportedly said the initiative "has to be done as quickly as possible." The British Ministry of Defense wrote on Thursday that the dispute "is likely to be a key way-point in the feud."

Earlier this month, Russian army Lieutenant Colonel Roman Venevitin was captured and held briefly by Wagner Group forces, another signal of escalating tensions between the Wagner Group and Russian military leadership. Venevitin has since accused Prigozhin of undermining Russia's interests and "enslaving" his fellow soldiers.