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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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The head of the mercenary group playing a key role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine is trying to "burnish his credibility" with claims about the war effort, British defense officials have said.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense (MOD) referred to comments made on October 23 by Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin that Russian forces had been making advances of between 100 and 200 meters per day, which he claimed was "normal in modern warfare."
British defense officials said on Wednesday that Russian military doctrine dictates there should be advances of "30km (19 miles) or more per day in most conditions."
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They also noted that in February, Russian troops had planned to make a 660-mile advance through Ukraine within a month while Ukrainian forces achieved advances of over 12 miles per day.
On October 25, the U.S. think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) had said that Prigozhin had "absurdly and falsely claimed" that advances of between 100 and 200 meters per day were a standard, noting that his role in the information space surrounding the war was increasing.
Prigozhin had been tight-lipped about the group he heads, and before the invasion of Ukraine the Kremlin had always denied any link to Wagner, which has been accused of war crimes in Africa, Syria and Ukraine. But British defense officials said that over the last two months Prigozhin had "abandoned any pretense that he is not associated with Wagner and has been more explicit in his public statements."
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"He is likely trying to burnish his credibility within the stressed Russian national security system," the MOD said.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.
Philip Ingram, a former intelligence officer with the British Army, told Newsweek that regarding advances there is "no such thing as a norm in modern warfare" and that 200 meters "in an urban environment against a well-prepared defender could be outstanding, whereas in open territory, terrible."
"Wagner are trying to spin their failure to achieve anything significant for the domestic Russian military command audience. They have made little progress around Bakhmut in particular," he said, referring to the town in the Donetsk region that has been under attack from Russian forces for months. "[British] defense intelligence have been bland in their comments and not put Russian doctrine in context."
Prigozhin is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to whom he has expressed his misgivings about the management of the war, The Washington Post reported.
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