[War & Business] Prigozhin Memorials Spread Despite Russian Authorities' Crackdown

Nationwide Memorials Mark First Anniversary of Prigozhin's Death
Public Sentiment Turns Amid Ukrainian Advance into Russian Heartland

On the 23rd (local time), a Russian man is paying tribute to Yevgeny Prigozhin at his grave in Saint Petersburg.
[Image source=Reuters·Yonhap News]

The grave of Yevgeny Prigozhin, located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was covered with flowers from mourners commemorating the first anniversary of his death. Despite Russian authorities deploying police forces across various locations to prevent crowds from gathering, sporadic memorial services were held nationwide. From Vladimir Putin's regime perspective, Prigozhin was a rebel leader, but this showed that he still remained a hero in the hearts of the Russian people, who remembered him as someone who personally led the front lines and voiced the hardships of soldiers.

Prigozhin was once called "Putin's chef" and was a close aide to President Putin, leading Russia's largest mercenary company, the Wagner Group. However, he attempted a military rebellion to correct the irresponsible Russian military leadership, which failed, and he eventually died under mysterious circumstances. He frequently exposed the incompetence of the Russian military leadership while leading his mercenary forces and inspecting the front lines, strongly criticizing the Russian government that continued on this path, warning that the war could be lost.

Nevertheless, as the Russian military remained immovable, Prigozhin launched a military rebellion in June last year and rapidly advanced toward Moscow. However, just before reaching Moscow, he suddenly decided to retreat, causing the rebellion to collapse. The reason for his retreat remains unclear, but the Russian public interprets that Prigozhin never intended to stage a rebellion and that his actions were a plea to President Putin to correct the military leadership.

However, from Putin's regime perspective, his rebellion was an unforgivable act. After his death, the size of the Wagner Group mercenary forces shrank to one-tenth of its original size, and ordinary mourners were not allowed to attend Prigozhin's funeral. All media articles related to the first anniversary of his death were censored and deleted. The Putin regime sought to thoroughly distance him from public attention and socially bury him.

Instead, fearing further military rebellions, President Putin appointed economist Andrey Belousov as the new Minister of Defense to more efficiently control the military, and has since continued political purges under the pretext of eradicating military corruption. As a result, most of the competent front-line commanders were dismissed and replaced by Putin's close aides.

As a result of the purges, the Russian military now faces an invasion of its mainland Kursk region by Ukrainian forces. Prigozhin's warning that military incompetence would lead to disaster was realized within a year, resulting in harm to the Russian people. Over 200,000 displaced persons have been reported in the Kursk region alone. Following the presidential election in May, which confirmed his lifelong rule, the Ukraine war?meant to be his greatest achievement?has completely lost its luster. The fact that the Kursk region is symbolically significant as the place where the former Soviet Union repelled Nazi Germany's invasion in 1943 and launched a counteroffensive also remains a major political burden for Putin's regime.

With the front-line situation rapidly changing, the current Prigozhin memorial has become a rallying point for anti-Putin forces criticizing the regime's incompetence. This is also the main reason why Russian authorities are trying to prevent large crowds from gathering at the memorial. Attention is focused on how this growing Prigozhin memorial fervor, expected to intensify after the Ukraine war ends, will influence Russia's future political landscape.