In the aftermath of a short-lived mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his private Wagner Group army, Russian state media has been struggling to control the narrative. The initial outrage about Prigozhin’s treasonous deed going unpunished was replaced by claims there was no armed mutiny.
Now, the propaganda machine is overridden by two contrasting images of the Wagner boss—one as a patriotic hero, and the other as a shadowy criminal.
Even the most seasoned Kremlin propagandists had a hard time with the dizzying descent: from glorifying the “heroic deeds” of Prigozhin’s brutal fighters and his role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to portraying the Wagnerites and their leader as a bunch of convicts and unsavory characters.
ADVERTISEMENT
That disarray was palpable on a recent broadcast of the state TV show 60 Minutes, when Eduard Petrov, who heads the network’s Legal Programs Production Service, asserted that criminal investigations against Prigozhin were far from over.
Instead of joining in, the host, Evgeny Popov, repeatedly mentioned how successful the Wagner group had been in Ukraine. Other panelists contributed mainly by rolling their eyes and grimacing. When offered a chance to speak, they immediately changed the topic, leading Petrov to question whether they were too afraid to talk about Prigozhin.
Sunday’s Vesti Nedeli followed suit, attempting to undo the efforts of Prigozhin’s media empire, describing it as “an army of bloggers and so-called journalists” that was portraying him as a Robin Hood of sorts. The program set out to prove that the “wannabe Robin Hood” was actually “robbing the hood,” with hosts recalling Prigozhin’s criminal record—down to candy bowls and napkin holders he stole 43 years ago—as well as his alleged attempts to take over the city of St. Petersburg, mafia style.
Even the most prominent state-sponsored propagandists are floundering to produce a consistent narrative about the mercenary boss, arguably because Prigozhin’s exploits are directly tied to his decades-long relationship with Vladimir Putin.
One of Prigozhin’s main cheerleaders, host Vladimir Solovyov, went from praising the Wagnerites and participating in the filming of their commercials, to complaining that it took them over 200 days to take Bakhmut. He snapped back at his viewers for defending Prigozhin and angrily claimed that he could take Kyiv in three days. While condemning Prigozhin, Solovyov repeatedly urged the Wagnerites to officially join Russia’s dwindling armed forces.
After the Kremlin’s revelation that President Putin met with Prigozhin just days after the failed mutiny, Solovyov again changed course at breakneck speed. During Monday’s broadcast of The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, the host alleged that the group’s undisclosed location—(most of them are not eager to sign up for regular military service)—is all a part of Putin’s ingenious plan.
“According to what [Putin spokesman] Dmitry Peskov says, it turns out that on June 29th, there was a meeting of the mutineers—and let me remind you, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin clearly defined it as a mutiny. These people came and it turns out, they are ready to go and carry out any task that is set by the Supreme Commander,” Solovyov said. “Now, this is an equation with many unknowns! Tens of thousands of well-trained, well-equipped men can pop up on any stretch of the front line, because now we know that they are not against Putin! They say they are Putin’s soldiers!”
Solovyov added: “Vilnius is nearby... so is Kyiv, so is Kharkiv, or Mykolaiv and Odesa! Twenty thousand storm troopers is a major headache! When they’re assembled into a fist, they can cause major problems!”
