The Haunting: Prigozhins Geist wandert durch Kursk

Submission Statement: “The battles in the Kursk region have sparked the worst infighting between the military command and radical patriots since the Wagner mutiny.” Kseniya “Kassie” Kirillova examines the growing tensions between Russian military leadership and radical pro-war activists in response to Ukraine’s advances into the Kursk region of Russia. War correspondents and nationalist bloggers have been openly critical of the Defense Ministry’s response, pointing to failures in troop readiness and command. Their criticism echoes that of late Russian oligarch and mercenary Yevgeniy Prigozhin, whose anti-Kremlin rhetoric continues to influence discussions online. With discontent spreading among conscripts and their families, the regime faces challenges in controlling the narrative at a time when cracks are emerging in Putin’s façade of strength.