Who's who in the Prigozhin-Kremlin conflict?

The main figure in the now escalating conflict, head of the independent paramilitary Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin was previously considered to be one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest confidants. The Wagner Group has been instrumental in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, particularly in and around Bakhmut, not to mention in other conflicts in Syria and across the African continent in recent years.

But the close ties between Prigozhin and the Kremlin leadership has suffered in recent months: The Wagner chief has long been in favor of installing a new Russian military leadership, which he has repeatedly criticized for military defeats in Ukraine.

Tensions have been escalating since last Friday, when Prigozhin accused the military leadership, in particular his arch-enemy Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, of lying to the Russian people about the true reasons for the war in February 2022. He also accused Russian troops of attacking the Wagner Group.

In a televized national address on Saturday, Putin called the Wagner mercenaries "traitors" who would "inevitably be punished" — the final break between the Kremlin and Prigozhin. He now faces up to 20 years in prison and is under investigation by the FSB, Russia's domestic intelligence agency. Experts say that this would mean the end of the influential mercenary force.