Is Russian strongman Prigozhin dead or alive?

0:00 Speaker 1 What is today is Ambassador John Boten. He was a president’s national security advisor and one smart guy. He knows what’s going on around the world. Ambassador Boton, there’s so many problems in the world. Where do you want to start.

0:16 Speaker 2 Well, I think what Russia is up to now that Progosion has gone to meet his maker. I mean, I think this is the outcome of the power struggle in Russia is going to have a huge impact on Ukraine and Africa, really around the world.

0:32 Speaker 1 Progosion and Putin were friends at one time or enemies at one time. Nobody keeps track of what they were. But we understand that that China gave orders to Putin if they can give what is to Putin. But they’re the bigger They’re the fourteen pounds gorilla representing one million, four hundred people. I guess we could say that any

1:04 chance that that Progosion is still alive someplace.

1:11 Speaker 2 Now, I think it’s pretty definitive that he’s not, and so that really raises the question what does Putin do now? I think the point you just made about Progosion and Putin being friends is very important for people to understand, because the Wagner Group was set up because Putin wanted a military capability that he could use on behalf of

1:33 Russia in the Middle East and Africa with deniability. So he created almost unique in modern times, this private military company, put Progosion in charge of it, got some ex military people involved, and they developed this operation really that went not just from being military but investing in a whole bunch of businesses overseas and making a lot of money.

1:57 Putin does not want to lose that capability. He may rebrand the Wagner Group, He’s certainly going to put his own people in, but that capability is something that he wants to keep. And and it’s important that that the connection with China here is understood as well, because China likes having a Wagner Group capability in Africa uh IN

2:18 in particular to help protect their efforts through the Belt and Road initiative to get economic control in many countries in Africa.

2:28 Speaker 1 Well, what don’t mean you can rename the Magna Group and call it the Russian Foreign Legion.

2:33 Speaker 2 Well that’s not that’s not far from the truth. And and it and it goes to the other point you were raising about the uh the price of oil and what the what what that? What impact that can have? Uh, the Wagner Group is probably almost self financing at this point.

2:50 So a lot of the sanctions that we tried to put into place against Russia, which which have failed in many respects, especially the oil sanctions, would not undercut the ability of the Wagner Group to do its thing in both Africa and the Middle East and now obviously in Ukraine.

3:06 So this is something that gives Putin an insurance policy. It’s another capability that before it was created, Russia simply didn’t have. But it gives Putin the ability to play in Africa in the Middle East in ways that even in the heyday of the Soviet Union Moscow didn’t have understood.

3:30 Speaker 1 So it’s up to Putin’s court. Now, who are you appoints as the number one guy in the Russian Foreign Legion or Wagner Group or whatever. And I mean the amount of minerals they’re getting from those African countries are unbelievable.

3:45 Speaker 2 Yeah, and that’s why the recent coupdeta in dejer just yesterday in Gabon really signals the continuing decline and influence of France over its former colonies and the ability of the Russians and the Chinese to make significant gains in Africa.

4:06 I think we in America don’t pay enough attention to the developments in Africa. But what China and Russia have in mind is really taking advantage of the African governments, overthrowing them when they need to, putting in this foreign legion as you call it, and really exercise and control.

4:25 And I think if we were more attentive to what they would they were up to, there’s a lot we could do to help them. But as it is now, really the administration certainly has no policy on Africa, and I think it’s showing.

4:40 Speaker 1 The one place that we haven’t talked about much lately, but it’s who is controlling the aggression against the United States of America, whether it’s our universities, whether it’s well we know the Chinese are involved with with the drugs being to the Mexican gangs and then going up to America killing Americans. There is a I feel that there’s

5:13 an aggression against our country and a lot of Americans don’t realize it. I feel that there’s an undertow of attacks in different areas. You’re a smart guy, You’ve been in intelligence all your life. Tell me what you feel about that.

5:32 Speaker 2 Well, I think there’s no doubt that our adversaries who recognize that that even today, with defense budget levels being the way they are, we still are the dominant power militarily. But so what their strategy is is to use what the people call generally asymmetric warfare, to engage in cyber attacks, to try influence operations, to undercut us economically, never to

5:58 confront us militarily because they know ultimately what the outcome would be, but to weaken American resolve we can faith in our institutions, and to do it in a variety of different ways that you know, there’s a controversy now about this app called TikTok, which is very popular among the young people. But you know, it’s like the story

6:19 of the Pied Piper. The Chinese developed this, They’ve gotten people almost hooked on it, and it’s something that they can use to reel in people later. But Chinese influence operations in this country and the efforts really to fragment us politically are deftly underestimated. I think we’re still learning a lot about it. Some of them, like the Confucius Institutes,

6:43 at universities are just propaganda centers. That’s becoming more evident. But we’ve got to wake up to this threat because we have not been willing to see it. I think we do see more of the Chinese threat in the economic area, the stealing of our intellectual property and the threat they’re posing to Taiwan and other things. But this

7:03 attempt to influence our public opinion without without letting anybody know they’re doing it, that’s much more insidious and I think long term more dangerous.

7:13 Speaker 1 Understood, we got a minute left. What else do you want to tell the American people this Sunday morning, Labor Day weekend.

7:21 Speaker 2 Well, I think it’s just critical that we as we go into the presidential campaign season, that we recognize what we really know, but we tend to ignore that. Our ability to protect our interest around the world depends on a strong, free economy at home. You can’t have that without a strong presence internationally. But you can have a

7:42 strong presence internationally unless you’re economy is strong. And all these proposals to increase taxes and spend more money are going to worsen our deficit worse in the national debt. We’ve just got to have more fiscal responsibility and because we need more defense spending, that’s going to need some tough cuts and domestic programs, but we need to be

8:04 willing to face up to that in order to protect ourselves around the world.

8:08 Speaker 1 And Bashador, John Bolton, thank you on this Labor Day weekend. Thank you for continuing to speak out for America. God bless you and God bless America.

8:17 Speaker 2 Well, thanks thanks for having me John. The same to you.