Prigozhin, Simonyan, Medvedev: the rise of the Russian hawk
- Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Medvedev and Margarita Simonyan are among Moscow’s fiercest hawks
- Their rise points to a new military fervour in Russia after the Kremlin launched its intervention in Ukraine
The first one challenged Ukraine’s president to a fighter jet duel. The second has threatened Europe with nuclear apocalypse. The third has said cannibals roam Ukraine.
Russia’s warmongers used to be relegated to the margins of society but now they are basking in the limelight after the Kremlin ordered its army to Ukraine.
Here’s a look at three of Moscow’s fiercest hawks: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Medvedev and Margarita Simony.
Yevgeny Prigozhin
For years, Yevgeny Prigozhin did the Kremlin’s bidding from the shadows, dispatching mercenaries from his private fighting force to conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, always denying involvement.
That changed with the Ukraine conflict. The 61-year-old both admitted he started the Wagner group and then began recruitment drives from Russia’s prison network.
His offer? Fight in exchange for amnesty. The catch? Deserters and fighters who let themselves be captured would be summarily killed.
When video circulated showing an alleged Wagner deserter being executed with a sledgehammer, Prigozhin praised the killing, calling the dead man a “dog”.