Music producer Iosif Prigozhin attending a party after a concert by opera stars ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, at the GUM Department Store.
A leaked recording in which influential Russians close to President Vladimir Putin trash the leader and his handling of the war in Ukraine has been confirmed as authentic. This rare window into the opaque world of Russian oligarchs confirms the suspicion that the country's wealthy and powerful have grave concerns about the Kremlin
In the expletive-laden conversation, successful Russian music producer Iosif Prigozhin and billionaire and former Senator Farhad Akhmedov, strong public supporters of the war, can be heard describing Russian leaders as "f**king criminals" who have "f**ked up everything."
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Sign up to our free daily newsletter.The recording which first appeared on social media on March 7, but it wasn't until Sunday when a high-level source in the Russian intelligence services had confirmed to independent Russian media Vazhnyye Istorii (Important Stories) that that the recording was real.
"The recording of the conversation between Prigozhin and Akhmedov is authentic. The FSB leadership held a meeting the other day and ordered their subordinates to take action,” commented a FSB source.
Wagner Group mercenary boss Yevgenzy Prigozhin, who is not directly related to the music producer although they have the same last name, called Iosef "impudent, aggressive and quick-tempered," and suggested that whoever recorded the call may have intended to target him instead.
In the recording, billionaire Akhmedov can be heard criticizing, among other things, the Russian government's choice to attack Ukraine when Russia still has plenty of its own "undeveloped land."
Here are some of the most striking quotes from their conversation, which gives a glimpse of real life in Russia, where truth is often obscured by propaganda.
The mega yacht Luna lying in the Hamburg shipyard harbor. The detained luxury yacht ''Luna'' belonging to Russian businessman Farkhad Akhmedov, who is on a list of Russians sanctioned by the EU.
"Absolute nonsense"
In the call, Iosef Prigozhin says prominent Russians close to Putin blame the country's defense minister for Russia's failure to gain ground in Ukraine.
Oligarch and Putin ally Igor Sechin, Sergey Chemezov, CEO of state-owned arms company Rostec Corporation and National Guard chief Viktor Zolotov blame Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, for "everything," Prigozhin says.
"They call him a dumb ass — behind his back, of course. And they have the f**king task of tearing him down ... They have to blame (military defeats) on someone. They act like kings, like f**king gods," he says.
"They f**ked up everything," Akhmedov says. "The question is, what comes after them?"
If we fight, then we should fight.
"This is absolutely nonsense," he says. "The president will answer for all of this. For everything. He will be held accountable ... They f**ked us up. Our children, but also their future, their f**king destiny."
Prigozhin refers to Putin and his cabinet as "criminals" and said that "even if h pushes the f**king button, there's no future for the whole nation. That's all there is to it ... For them, people are just trash.”
Putin, Akhmedov says, "Doesn't give a f**k about anything ... about the people either. He's f**king Satan ... Lilliputians, a midget with a complex."
The billionaire offers a pessimistic assessment of Russia's chances on the battlefield, and what will come next: "If we fight, then we should fight. We can't even fight. Because there's no f**king army; they can't provide it. All stolen ... Fascism will come, there will be a military dictatorship. You'll see. That's how it will all end.”
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