Dmitry Rogozin may be in trouble in Russia

Almost five months have passed since Dmitry Rogozin he was fired as CEO of Roscosmos, the Russian state space corporation. Later, a Russian space officer recognized that Rogozin was removed from this high-profile post to ease tensions with NASA and other partners of the International Space Station. It has worked, as international space flight relations have improved.

Since his dismissal, there has been speculation that Rogozin might take some sort of leadership position in the Russian-occupied areas of eastern Ukraine. This has yet to happen, however, so Rogozin declared himself head of the “Tsar’s Wolves” volunteer inspection group. Rogozin’s stated goal has been to test and supply the advanced weapons technology that Russian troops need to win the war.

As part of his efforts, Rogozin has released images and statements to your Telegram account from the Donbas region of Ukraine, visiting with troops. To do this – and, knowing Rogozin, he is likely to build his “tough guy” image – Rogozin has also posted images of himself dressed as a soldier. At times, however, Rogozin’s actions have seemed more like cosplay than anything else, and some Russians (in addition to former prominent NASA astronauts) have begun mocking the Russian politician who was once close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Recently, the Russians have been picking on these images of Rogozin because they show him wearing more expensive equipment than Russian troops have. Some of their equipment was actually manufactured in NATO countries, which Russia opposes.

Russian military correspondents apparently make fun of Dmitry Rogozin because he keeps posting photos of himself in fancy NATO military gear that is an order of magnitude more expensive than what regular Russian troops get. Example: pic.twitter.com/j7nQyTMPys

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) November 28, 2022

Among Rogozin’s new critics is none other than Yevgeny Prigozhin, a man known as “Putin’s chef,” who is one of the most dangerous people in Russia. Prigozhin has seen his profile rise significantly this year as Putin has turned to him to help stem the tide of a war effort in Ukraine. In this role, Prigozhin has carte blanche to operate in Russia and Ukraine.

Prigozhin leads an organization called the Wagner Group, which has raised mercenary armies to support Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. As he has done so, Prigozhin has mercilessly criticized the Russian defense officials who led the early stages of the war. From the Russian General Staff, he said in October“All these bastards should be sent to the front barefoot with only a machine gun.”

Now Prigozhin has taken note of Rogozin’s travels near the front line. Prigozhin said Rogozin’s actions in Ukraine are clearly being done for PR purposes rather than furthering the Russian war effort. Besides, he said, Wagner Group soldiers are well trained to identify those wearing NATO clothing. They are ready to kill anyone like that on sight.

Prigozhin also conducted a free quality test of Russian rockets and satellites during Rogozin’s tenure at Roscosmos, which ran from May 2018 to July 2022, and saw several high-profile failures.

Rogozin, at least publicly, has yet to respond to the criticism.