Putin's Ally Calls For End To Ukraine-Russia War; Says Kyiv Counteroffensive Will Be Successful

A close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called for the end of the war in Ukraine and warned Kyiv will likely succeed in its anticipated spring counteroffensive.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian paramilitary unit Wagner Group and once called "Putin's chef," made the remark in a lengthy public essay.

"The ideal option would be to announce the end of the special military operation and declare that Russia has achieved all of its planned goals — and, in some respects, we really have achieved them," Prigozhin wrote, according to translations by DW. "For state power and for society today, it is necessary to put a thick full stop behind the special military operation."

The Wagner founder also added that Ukraine would likely succeed in its anticipated counteroffensive operations, noting that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have enough numbers and trained fighters to perform combat missions.

"The Ukrainian army has gathered a sufficient number of forces. About 200,000 already sufficiently trained fighters, who have undergone two to three months of training and coordination, are ready to perform combat missions. The amount of weapons and ammunition is quite enough for these 200,000 to go on the offensive in various directions," he wrote, via Google Translate.

"The troops ready for the counteroffensive are in the areas of concentration -- they have enough of everything. In those tank wedges that they try to drive into the defense of the Wagner PMC every day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lose from 30 to 50 pieces of equipment every day, and they don't experience problems with it. And for people they have, as they say at the front, unlimited," he continued.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warned that some media coverage of Prigozhin's essay has been "inaccurate" and "miscontextualized." The U.S.-based think tank also argued that Prigozhin called on Russia to either "commit to a decisive fight" to defeat Ukrainian forces or "result in a temporary Russian defeat that will catalyze Russia's nationalist rebirth and set conditions for future victory."

His remarks come as Russia's military death toll is believed to have reached 182,070, according to estimates from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The figures include 520 soldiers killed over the past day.