Thread by @TheStudyofWar

NEW: Members of the #Russian #siloviki faction continue to voice their dissatisfaction with Russian war efforts in #Ukraine, indicating that #Putin will continue to struggle to appease the pro-war constituency in the long term.

isw.pub/UkrWar102522

2/ The Russian siloviki faction refers to people with meaningful power bases within #Putin’s inner circle who are fielding combat forces in #Ukraine. isw.pub/UkrWar102522

3/ Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov complained that the Russian response to claimed Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory has been “weak,” that Russia is now engaged in a war with Ukraine instead of a “special military operation,”

...and that he is unhappy with the lack of Russian retaliation despite the establishment of martial law. isw.pub/UkrWar102522

4/ Russian siloviki have also directly confronted #Putin regarding the progress of the Russian war in Ukraine, which further highlights their significance within Russian power structures.

The @washingtonpost, citing US intelligence, revealed that #Wagner Group financier Yevgeniy #Prigozhin sharply criticized the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) in a private conversation. washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

5/ This supports ISW’s assessment that Prigozhin holds a unique position that allows him to reap the benefits of Putin’s dependency on Wagner forces w/o having formal responsibility for any axis or area in #Ukraine & while wielding considerable influence in the information space.

6/ #Putin’s regime is largely dependent on Putin’s monopolization of the state information space, but #Prigozhin is increasingly challenging that monopoly.

7/ #Prigozhin’s influence in the information space is evident through the positive portrayal of #Wagner forces, despite their failure to make significant advances in the #Bakhmut area.

8/ #Wagner forces have yet to reach #Bakhmut despite fighting there since early summer and are reportedly suffering significant losses. isw.pub/UkrWar102522