Putin’s henchman calls generals a “bunch of clowns” after troops are ordered to shave

One of Vladimir Putin’s top henchmen has labeled the Russian military a “bunch of clowns” for ordering soldiers to cut and shave their hair.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary group, openly mocked Valery Gerasimov, the commander-in-chief on whose behalf the edict was issued, claiming that his 50,000 soldiers — mostly squalid ex-cons deployed in mismatched uniforms — acted against the fighting army.

It also aroused the contempt of Chechnya’s ruthless leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who said on his Telegram channel: “I can only imagine the sense of amazement on the part of our fighters, who knew nothing about such a dangerous enemy in their ranks as facial hair.”

“Drop your machine guns, let’s shave.”

Western intelligence agencies suspect that Gerasimov took on his new role as chief of staff with an effort to improve day-to-day discipline within his ranks.

In its daily update, the British Ministry of Defense said on Monday: “Since he took command, officers have sought to crack down on non-regulatory uniforms, travel in civilian vehicles, the use of mobile phones and non-standard haircuts.

The measures met with skeptical reactions. The biggest ridicule, however, is reserved for attempts to improve the quality of troop shaving.’

“War is the time for the active and courageous, not for the clean-shaven,” Prigozhin criticized the military leadership.

He said: “Prisoners fight better than guard units. Soldiers with broken spines pass on their military experience in boot camps and move like robots.

“And a bunch of clowns trying to teach weary warriors how often to shave—and what perfume to use to greet commanders-in-chief.”

Prigozhin sarcastically urged Kadyrov to “grow his beard twice as long”.

He doubled down on his claim that his Wagner team – which included murderers, rapists and other serious criminals – had taken the hotly contested Donbass town of Soledar.

And he insisted that “even Stalingrad pales in comparison” in the pantheon of Russian military victories.

Prigozhin appealed to convicts who had served six months in the war zone, to whom he pardoned their sentences under a secret decree from Putin.

He said, “I came to thank you for what you have done, from myself… and from the motherland.

“They have had six months of hard war. Neither your grandfathers nor your great-grandfathers were involved in such battles [in World War Two].

“Those who have been to Soledar know that even Stalingrad pales in comparison, so thank you.

“The Motherland and our people are indebted to you.”

He urged the newly released criminals to forget their past lives and the barbarity of war as they return to civilian life.

They had to “keep their adrenaline high” and forget what they had learned on the front lines.

In civilian life “there are no enemies, everyone is a friend”.

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