Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, is struggling to maintain consistency in the narrative used to justify the country's ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to sources. The claim comes after the chief of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, questioned Moscow's central claim that there are Nazis in Ukraine, thereby undermining its efforts to portray the war as analogous to the Soviet experience in the Second World War.
The UK's Ministry of Defence has argued that Russia's attempts to equate the two conflicts are failing, and that the cancellation of this year's 'Great Patriotic War' remembrance parade is likely due to fears of betraying the true scale of its losses in Ukraine. The ministry also rejected a recent Russian attempt to implicate the Nazis in a 1940s massacre that Moscow has previously accepted was ordered by former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
In addition, Prigozhin has expressed concern over a looming Ukrainian counterattack, as Russian forces reportedly advance on the last part of the frontline city in which Kyiv's troops remain. Wagner fighters have led the bloody assault on Bakhmut, raising questions over the group's role in the conflict and the extent to which it operates under the direction of the Kremlin.
As Russia's narrative for the war in Ukraine continues to shift, experts suggest that Putin may be struggling to maintain consistency and credibility with both domestic and international audiences. The situation is further complicated by the ongoing conflict and its toll on both sides, as well as by the involvement of private military contractors and other non-state actors in the fighting.