Kremlin kept Prigozhin's funeral secret due to concerns about Wagner Group supporters – ISW

Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have suggested that the Kremlin is concerned about Wagner Group sympathisers, which is why it tried to divert attention from Prigozhin's funeral and seek other goals by releasing confusing information about the funeral.

Source: the ISW

Details: The analysts noted that Russian authorities have made several attempts to silence or confuse reports about the funeral of Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, which likely indicates that the Kremlin remains concerned about Prigozhin's popularity in Russia and among Wagner supporters – even after his death.

The review points out that some Russian Telegram channels noted that Russian state-aligned channels mainly ignored Prigozhin's funeral, likely also within the context of the Kremlin's planned "coverage" of the funeral.

The ISW also observed that some Russian Telegram channels suggested without any foundation that Prigozhin had survived the plane crash, which could also be an information operation aimed at flooding the Russian information space with false reports and diverting attention from Prigozhin's funeral.

Experts suggested that some Russian officials may be studying the views of the military bloggers on Prigozhin and his death in order to identify and censor Russian ultranationalists who have no obvious connection to Prigozhin or the Wagner Group.

One of these Russian military bloggers claimed that he had been approached by so-called aggressive advertisers who asked him to promote several Telegram channels that exaggerated the death of Wagner Group's leadership in an almost offensive manner.

He noted that this request was surprising as the Kremlin and Russian state-owned media outlets had already shut down this topic and he refused to promote these channels.

This refusal reportedly prompted one of the advertisers to accuse him of supporting the Wagner Group’s mutiny and of standing against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian constitution.

The ISW noted that the milblogger has constantly criticised the Russian military leadership and supported Mikhail Teplinsky, Commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, who previously had some connections with Prigozhin.

The ISW said this incident shows that the Russian milbloggers are self-censoring their discussions about Prigozhin's death and are covering this topic following the Kremlin's example.

In addition, the ISW said this incident can also confirm the hypothesis that certain Russian social media are trying to overwhelm the Russian information space. It may indicate that Russian officials are attempting to identify other well-known "ultranationalist voices" that may promote disobedience to the regime or military and in some way connect those people with Prigozhin.

The ISW noted that at the same time, Ramzan Kadyrov, Head of the Chechen Republic, has confirmed his loyalty to Russian President Vladimir Putin on 30 August, continuing his attempts to distance himself from Prigozhin.

Kadyrov posted his photo with Putin and proclaimed that he was "an infantryman of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief" and "ready to fulfil any order" from Putin.

The ISW added that Kadyrov has repeatedly tried to get closer to Putin and the Russian Defence Ministry and to distance himself from Prigozhin after he fell "from grace".

To quote the ISW's Key Takeaways on 30 August:

• Ukrainian forces reportedly destroyed four Russian Il-76 planes during a drone strike on a Russian airfield in Pskov Oblast on the night of 29-30 August.
• Russian propagandists and milbloggers criticised Russian forces for their inability to defend Russian territory and military facilities, while simultaneously criticising recent Russian Defence Ministry censorship efforts.
• Russian forces conducted a large-scale missile and drone strike predominantly targeting Kyiv on the night of 29-30 August, likely in retaliation for the Ukrainian strikes earlier on Moscow and Pskov oblasts.
• Ukrainian light infantry – likely reconnaissance elements – infiltrated east of Russian field fortifications near Verbove as of 30 August.
• The Kremlin has reportedly undertaken several efforts to silence or confuse reports about Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin’s funeral, which likely indicates that the Kremlin remains worried about Prigozhin’s appeal in Russia and among Wagner forces even after his death.
• Some Russian officials may be probing the views of milbloggers about Prigozhin and his death to identify and censor Russian ultranationalists not clearly connected with Prigozhin or Wagner.
• Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov reiterated his loyalty to Russian President Vladimir Putin on 30 August in continued attempts to distance himself from Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin.
• Russian forces conducted offensive operations along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, on the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line, in the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia oblasts border area, and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast on 30 August and reportedly advanced.
• Ukrainian forces conducted offensive operations along at least two sectors of the front on 30 August and advanced near Bakhmut, in the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia oblasts border area, and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
• The Russian Ministry of Defence is reportedly banning Wagner Group soldiers from fighting in Ukraine.
• The Ukrainian Crimean-based Atesh partisan group claimed that its partisans successfully detonated an explosive at the campaign headquarters of the United Russia party in occupied Nova Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast on 29 August.

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