Reporting that Wagner Group financier Prigozhin calls for Russia to end its war against Ukraine inaccurate – ISW
Reporting from some Western sources that Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin called for Russia to end its war against Ukraine is inaccurate, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says in a report for April 15.
“Some Western reports covering Prigozhin’s April 14 essay on a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive and the future of the war miscontextualized a rhetorical statement in which Prigozhin established a strawman argument he attributed to Russia’s ‘internal enemies’ who seek to rationalize Russia ending the war in Ukraine now,” a message posted on the website reads.
Western analysts consider that “Prigozhin actually called on Russia to commit to a decisive fight “that will either defeat Ukraine or result in a temporary Russian defeat that will catalyze Russia’s nationalist rebirth and set conditions for future victory.”
It is noted that a full reading of Prigozhin's essay, titled, “Only an Honest Fight: No Negotiations,” does not lend itself to “any reasonable interpretation” that Prigozhin advocated for an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Prigozhin’s isolated quotes separated from the full context of his messages often lose their initial meaning.
“Prigozhin has an idiosyncratic rhetorical and writing style that relies heavily on deadpan sarcasm, selective ambiguity, aphorisms, vulgarity, and ironic slang,” the message reads.
The ISW notes that individual quotes of the founder of Wagner PMC, which are taken out of the full context of his messages, often lose their original meaning.
