There was no coup in Russia. Prigozhin and the Wagner group did not invade Moscow. For Putin, this is not a success – the Kremlin boss was humiliated.
Moscow – An eventful day is coming to an end, which leaves many experts with many question marks: The power struggle in Russia had reached a dramatic climax with the supposed march of the Wagner group towards Moscow – which only came to an abrupt end shortly before Moscow . Yevgeny Prigozhin asked his Wagner mercenaries to return to their barracks via messenger. The armed uprising seems to have been averted for the time being. But the situation remains unclear.
Prigozhin breaks off coup: Wagner mercenaries return to barracks
The possible coup against Putin has been averted for the time being, but in the end this is not a triumph for the Kremlin or Vladimir Putin, but rather the greatest possible humiliation. As for the reasons why Prigozhin ended the deployment on Moscow in time, political scientist Carlo Masala speculated in the Tagesthemen that the mercenary boss might have counted on greater support from the Russian military. Nevertheless, Prigozhin achieved his goal even without taking Moscow. In Moscow, meanwhile, there had even been the first evacuations because of the Wagner putsch.
As announced in his June 23 speech, Prigozhin intended to take action against the Russian military leadership. The 62-year-old accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering an attack on a Wagner troop military camp. The unit fought alongside regular Russian troops in Moscow’s war of aggression against Ukraine and played a key role in the capture of the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. However, there has been a dispute over competencies and ammunition supplies for months. After the alleged attack on the Wagner camp, which the Ministry of Defense in Moscow promptly denied, Prigozhin announced a “march of justice” to punish those responsible.
What happens to Wagner and Prigozchin? Power struggle between Putin and mercenaries is not over
Regarding the latest developments in Russia, Masala said: Prigozhin might have called off the attack on Moscow because the Russian leadership had threatened harder blows. More intense resistance from the air could have inflicted heavier casualties on the Wagner mercenaries as they advanced. Even if the putsch by the Wagner mercenaries was finally ended, a bad aftertaste remains: According to Masala, the power struggle in Russia is not over. In fact, the expert is certain that Putin’s rule has resulted in massive tears in power.
“Putin had to make a compromise,” said the expert. For the Kremlin boss, this is a great humiliation and by no means a victory. In addition, the compromise would also contradict the harsh statements that Putin made on Saturday morning. Russian President Vladimir Putin called his former confidante Prigozhin a “traitor” on Saturday morning. The authorities have been investigating the oligarch, who has become rich with government contracts, since Friday evening and threatened him with a prison sentence of 12 to 20 years.
No coup in Russia: Kremlin drops criminal proceedings against Prigozhin
In the evening, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the criminal case against the head of the Russian private army Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, for the armed uprising against the military leadership will be dropped. Prigozhin himself will go to Belarus, the state news agency Interfax said. The fighters of the Wagner troop should not be prosecuted in view of their merits at the front in Ukraine, as Peskov explained. According to his own statements, the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko had persuaded Prigozhin to give up his uprising. At first it was not clear whether, in addition to impunity, Prigozhin was being made or promised further concessions in order to stop his troops from advancing on Moscow.
Mercenary chief Prigozhin did not comment on the latest developments. “Our columns are turning and going in the opposite direction back to the encampments,” he said in a voice message published by his press service on Telegram — his last public statement so far. So far, “not a drop of blood from our fighters” has been shed, it said.
Wagner coup in Russia: Putin’s image is damaged – the coming weeks will probably be important for the Ukraine war
As Masala said in view of the latest developments on the Wagner putsch, many unanswered questions remain that could have a significant impact on the course of the war in Ukraine in the coming weeks. Putin’s image suffered massively as a result of the incident and it is questionable how the Kremlin chief intends to regain the support of the Russian population. Nevertheless, Putin can continue to rely on his allies.
In the past few weeks, sympathy for Prigozhin has also increased significantly. This was not least due to the fact that he often presented himself as a simple soldier during the Ukraine war and publicly criticized the decisions of the Russian leadership. To what extent the Wagner boss was able to secure the sympathy of the population with his attempted coup is still uncertain. However, the lack of resistance to his advance against Moscow speaks volumes – and could also become a problem for Putin in the coming weeks. (febu with dpa)
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