Vladimir Putin to be replaced by Wagner Group chief? What US think tank said

Vladimir Putin News: The Wagner Group boss “may seek to parody Putin's cinematography style as part of a larger trolling campaign," a US think tank claimed.

Russian mercernary group Wagner's chief who has been an increasingly prominent figure since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine hinted at a plan to replace Vladimir Putin as the country's president. Yevgeny Prigozhin's remarks in an interview with Federal News Agency displayed his ambitions to challenge Vladimir Putin in Russia's 2024 presidential elections, analysts said.

Russia-Ukraine War: Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen. (AFP)

The Institute for the Study of War said as per Sky News that the "interview was noteworthy for its unique format" as "Prigozhin seemed to mimic the way that Vladimir Putin films his choreographed public meetings, either to mock Putin quietly or to suggest subtly that Prigozhin could become Russian president like Putin".

"The choreography and staging of Prigozhin's interview places Prigozhin in the camera's frame at Prigozhin's desk across from his audience in the same way that Putin's filmed meetings and photo ops usually do," analysts from the US think tank said.

“This film style is unusual for Prigozhin, as Prigozhin's public video statements typically do not employ such a sterile format,” the analysts added.

The Wagner Group boss “may seek to parody Putin's cinematography style as part of a larger trolling campaign to attack the Kremlin or draw tacit parallels between Prigozhin and the office of the Russian presidency”, the think tank further claimed.

"Prigozhin's recent behaviour — regardless of its intent — is advancing a narrative among Russian society that Prigozhin has larger political aspirations in Russia," the analysts concluded.