Veteran’s Corner

Tom Krabbenhoft
Months ago I wrote a few articles about the Wagner Group and their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. To recap, Wagner Group is a Russian military arm made up of Mercenaries, basically a modern French Foreign Legion. The Wagner Group had the most military success in Ukraine. This success caused a rift between the group and the standing Russian military leaders.
Yevgeny Prigozhin their leader accused Moscow of withholding logistic support and not providing air support to his units. Obviously his personal relationship with Putin declined as his language grew very seemingly blustery to directly challenging.
Eventually Prigozhin and his Wagner Group were fed up with Russian elements not supporting them. So much so they charged hundreds of miles into Russia not so much a couple, but an armed protest.
Prigozhin and Putin were friends and had a deep and personal relationship. Prigozhin was a self-made man that never had the benefit of inside connections. Putin’s story and rise to power was similar to Prigozhin.
Prigozhin was an entrepreneur and he made his millions as a chef, then setting up dinner lake cruises. Eventually he was noted for catering government events, specifically Putins. As Putins stature rose so did Prigozhin riches.
He was regarded as someone Putin trusted very much. So much so he was given control of one of the most lethal fighting forces in the World. Wagner Group and its leader did Putins bidding around the World.
When the two had their split an uneasy truce was brokered by the President of Belarus.
On August 23rd 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin and two other leaders from Wagner Group boarded a plane. Needless to say they never landed.
I wrote a few months ago either Putin or Prigozhin would be gone within a year. It only took a few months for the wrong bad guy to go.
The Wagner Group is redeployed to Ukraine with Pavel (Yevgeny’s Son) Prigozhin as its head. It will be interesting to see if deceased billionaires Oligarchs Son with his own army will extract revenge on Putin and Russia.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad launched attacks on Israel. The largest in many years. So far hundreds dead and many held hostage.
Iran is the primary funder of these groups. 100 million to Hamas, 700 million to Hezbollah and tens of millions to Islamic Jihad. Coincidence or not the US just gave Iran 6 billion in funds, for a prisoner swap.
General Milley recently retired as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Good riddance to him! Several instances will leave him as the worse one ever. DC cocktail parties should never take precedent over time with your troops.

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