It doesn’t make any sense for this to be fake, it makes Putin look weak and pathetic.
Well, Prigozhin has been kind of explicit about not saying that. He’s been saying he wanted the heads of the MoD gone. Reports are, he got exactly what he was asking for. Whether those folks being replaced or not is in Putin’s interest seems to be an exercise for the viewer at this point.
Yeah, I can’t think of anyone in the Kremlin who would mastermind “What if we say that Russia’s most successful military group is going to attack Moscow until the Belarusian president saves us? That’ll be just the thing to make Putin look good!”
Not on my Bingo card. I had most of the principals on my Celebrity Death Pool card. Putting away the champaign now.
Russian Telegram:
What a bizarre 24hours.
I believe Prigozhin must have thought he could garner support and flip a few generals. Once he realised he was not getting the level of support he needed he decided to negotiate.
Maybe it was all purely negotiation before it started. Maybe months or weeks of negotiation that didn’t end in a deal, and a bluff was called. I don’t know, but seems in realm of possible. Not sure we’ll ever know.
I suspect we haven’t heard the last of the Prigo stuff. It’s too weird an ending. If Prigo was forced to give in, whether by his own men or by a failure of others’ support, then it’s very strange that he’s not already captured or dead. If Putin was forced to give in, perhaps by an imminent Wagner takeover of Moscow, then his weakness is exposed, and someone else is likely to take advantage. Either way, the story is not over.
Agreed. This took planning and negotiations all behind Putins back. It didn’t work, but doing all the planning etc is 90% of it. So maybe not Prigo that does it, but just don’t see how Putin gets through this. Maybe, but he appears much less diminished.
“Kremlin political intrigues are comparable to a bulldog fight under a rug. An outsider only hears the growling, and when he sees the bones fly out from beneath it is obvious who won.” ― Winston Churchill
I think Prigozhin was trying to emulate Napoleon in 1815 - “as I approach Moscow, the troops they send out to face me, will join me!”.
Didn’t happen, so as a mercenary he allowed himself to be paid off (no doubt from Putin’s oligarch backers). And tough freakin’ luck for my men.
Moving some of Wagner to Belarus is quite a clever move actually. Now Ukraine might have to move more troops north to counter against a possible attack towards Kiyv.
Isn’t it just Prigozhin being exiled to Elba Belarus?
I think he has some people with him but not sure about the details.
And there’s someone handy to step in if Lukashenko suddenly steps down or falls ill, or just to keep an eye on the President.
It’s just a pity the whole thing happened too quickly for Ukraine to take advantage of it.
China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko had a little chat in Beijing to exchange views on “international and regional issues of common concern”.
I’d give up my favourite pillow for a week to have been a fly* on the wall… I’d really love to hear the tone and what exactly was discussed. China is smelling weakness, of course, and possible chaos.
*A Russian and Chinese speaking fly, please, if I’m giving up that pillow.
Of course the Genie granting your wish is an asshole – aren’t they always? – so you get your wish exactly is specified. Should’ve asked for English as well! (And you don’t even want to know what it did to your pillow during that week…)
Ukraine must be relieved the Wagner forces won’t be a problem anymore.
Unfortunately the Chechen forces are replacing them.