A source from the Cheka-OGPU said that the origins of the conflict between Shoigu/Gerasimov and Prigozhin actually originate from the events in February 2018 in Deir ez-Zor, which Prigozhin spoke about. But Prigozhin did not explain why it happened that the Armed Forces at the last moment received an order not to support the offensive actions of the Wagner PMC to seize oil fields.
When planning this operation, Prigozhin and the commanders of the Wagner PMC convinced the General Staff of the strategic feasibility of capturing the ISIS stronghold at the Conoco plant in the interests of gaining control over the oil fields of the main Syrian Al-Omar field, which would make it possible to destroy ISIS and prevent the advance of Kurdish forces, under American control. The plan really looked impeccable, and moreover, it was actively lobbied by the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces Surovikin. But already on February 7, it became known in the General Staff that this plan was an adventure by the Wagner PMC aimed at gaining access to the oil field. Gerasimov was infuriated that the oligarchs were trying to put the Armed Forces in the role of a servant to their business. Surovikin’s attempts to convince Gerasimov were unsuccessful, and the only thing that was allowed to the commander-in-chief of the VSK was to allocate two aircraft to transport killed members of the Wagner PMC to Russia.
However, to this day, for his services during the Syrian campaign of the Russian Armed Forces, Sergei Surovikin receives dividends from business projects in Syria of the Stroytransgaz joint-stock company. A friend of the Surovikin family, a member of the board of directors of Stroytransgaz, Mikhail Khryapov, ensures the functioning of such a passive income scheme.
Evgeny Prigozhin about the tragedy of February 8, 2018 in Khsham
After crossing to the left bank of the Euphrates in September 2017, the Wagner PMC managed to create a bridgehead for further advance into the eastern part of Syria. The oil fields of Syria’s main field, Al-Omar, were the main source of income for the Syrian people, and…
“ВЧК ОГПУ”
