Prigozhin's Power Move
Wagner Forces Lead Mutiny To Moscow
A wild 24 hours kicked off after Wagner leader Yevgheny Prigozhin organized his men and pushed to Rostov on Don and onwards to Moscow. The threats poured out from Wagner aligned Telegram channels that Defense Minister Shoigu has signed his death warrant, that General Surovikin would face a tribunal for surrendering Kherson and that Russia would soon have a new president.
In their trek across Russia, the Wagner convoy met little formal resistance and instead shared videos of locals cheering them on, taking pictures and appearing to be siding with their cause. Throughout the day, Russian Telegram channels say that 7-8 Russian aircraft were shot down or damaged killing upwards of 13 pilots.
Eventually, news came out that Belarusian President Lukashenko had brokered a deal between Putin and Prigozhin. In that deal, Prigozhin’s charges would be dropped and he would relocate to Belarus. Wagner fighters who took part in the mutiny would also have their charges dropped and those who did not take part would be absorbed into the Russian Ministry of Defense.
A Wall Street Journal analysis said that every major player in Russia lost during this event. The Russian security services failed by showing a reluctance or fear of engaging Wagner forces on their march to Moscow and Putin failed because he created and then lost control of a war lord. “Our country will never be the way it used to be. Wagner’s columns didn’t move on the asphalt, it moved through people’s hearts, cutting them in half, “stated Aleksandr Khodakovsky a deputy commander in the Roskvardya in Donetsk.
The lack of public support for Putin as this played out was noticeable. In contrast, citizens in Rostov were waving Russian flags, cheering on and taking pictures with Wanger and jeered the security forces that appeared after Wagner left.
Former Putin advisor Sergei Markov stated "The entire world has seen that Russia is on the brink of a political crisis. Yes the coup failed now. But coups have fundamental reasons. And if the reasons remain, a coup will happen again. And it could be successful."
https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1672709307073196034
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