There are concerns that a close ally of Vladimir Putin may be gearing up for a civil war by creating his own mercenary army.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the feared president of the Chechen Republic, claims he “plan[s] to compete with Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin with a private force all of his own.”
Kadyrov, 46, made the following statement in a Telegram post: “We can declare confidently that Wagner has demonstrated its military prowess and put an end to arguments about the necessity of such private military firms.
I sincerely intend to compete with our beloved brother Yevgeny Prigozhin and start a private military firm after my service to the state is finished.
“I believe everything will work out,”
Both men command military forces that function more or less independently of the main Russian armed forces and are staunch allies of President Putin.
Some in the West are worried that the future stability of Russia may be threatened by such groups’ growing power and capacity.
The statements of Kadyrov caught the attention of Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to the Ukrainian minister of internal affairs.
He tweeted: “Kadyrov claimed he intended to establish a private military firm after he completes his governmental duty.
The transformation of Russia into a decentralized feudal society is under underway.
Despite being close friends of Putin, Kadyrov and Prigozhin have both criticized the disastrous attempts by the Russian military to annex Ukraine.
“With this approach, Kadyrov is preparing for the time after Putin, when he expects to have his own substantial armed force either to broker power in Russia – possibly in a civil war – or even to lead his own fiefdom out to a secession,” a Moscow-based expert told the MailOnline.