An Interview with Sebastian Schäffer for Asharq News

Sebastian Schäffer was interviewed by Asharq News regarding Yevgeny Prigozhin, the former chef of Putin and head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, insinuating a possible civil war like in 1917 due to lack of commitment from the Kremlin. While the guest from Russia, Elena Suponina – Consultant at the Center for International Affairs, tried to frame it as a military tactical maneuver, the IDM Managing Director offered different perspectives. While it might very well be all a charade, there is also the possibility to publicly blackmail the Kremlin to provide what Prigozhin demands. His explicit accusations of unprofessionalism and corruption against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Valery Gerasimov could also indicate political ambitions. In any case remarkable are his comments regarding Ukraine: Instead of denazification and demilitarization, everyone globally now knows the country, which is now highly equipped as well as able to “(…) easily and successfully work with all systems – Soviet, NATO systems, you name it”.