Foreign countries|Prigozhin’s Rebellion
In interviews with Reuters, about a dozen people belonging to the Russian elite talk about their shock as the weekend uprising progresses.
People withdrew large amounts of roubles, airline ticket prices skyrocketed and high-ranking businessmen’s private jets took off in Russia as the mercenary army Wagner’s forces began their armed rebellion on Friday 23 June.
In interviews with the news agency Reuters, about a dozen people belonging to the Russian elite talk about their shock as the weekend uprising progresses.
Yevgeny Prigozhin led by Wagner mercenary army started an armed rebellion in Russia on Friday, during which its forces took control of Rostov-on-Don, a city of millions.
During Saturday, the Wagner forces already advanced about 200 kilometers from Moscow, before Prigozhin announced that his forces would start withdrawing.
One According to the person interviewed by Reuters, the fear was that Prigozhin’s forces, after reaching Moscow, would try to take over the country’s economy and start a redistribution of ownership.
The autocratic president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko however, announced on Saturday that he had discussed with Prigozhin the Russian president Vladimir Putin with permission, which reportedly led to Wagner backing down.
As Wagner’s forces retreated, fears rose in Russia that an enraged Putin would tighten his grip even further and retaliate against those he suspected of being untrustworthy.
“Everyone who had something to lose was very nervous,” said a Reuters source close to Russia’s business and political elite who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Another according to the source, fear prevailed on Saturday as the rebellion progressed. According to him, many began to make plans on how to get their families out of Moscow.
According to the source, Putin’s authority has taken a hit, but despite that, it is too early to draw broader conclusions about what happened.
“The speed and severity of this has shocked everyone, including in the Kremlin,” the source said.
“A new reality has dawned in Russia,” a third source told Reuters when asked what has happened in Russia.
According to the source, however, all the consequences of the failed rebellion have not been resolved yet.
Rebellion on Saturday, Putin gave a speech to his people from the Kremlin, in which he promised to suppress the rebellion.
Putin called the armed uprising treason and compared it to the chaos that led to the 1917 Bolshevik revolution and years of civil war.
During the speech, the price of the ruble collapsed, as a result of which Russians began withdrawing foreign currency around the country.
Air ticket prices also rose sharply, and flights to Belgrade, Serbia, for example, were sold out. Ticket prices to Istanbul, Turkey quadrupled.
According to flight tracking data, private planes connecting prominent business people and government officials left Moscow on June 24.
Wagner’s the rebellion finally ended a good day after it started. Prigozhin is reportedly exiled to Belarus, and Wagner soldiers have been given the option to join the Russian armed forces or move to Russia.
According to Reuters, there is now a fear within the Russian elite that Putin is trying to strengthen his position and get rid of those who, in his opinion, have not professed their loyalty strongly enough.
“Heads are spinning,” said one Reuters source.
“They’re looking at who was silent and who didn’t speak up for unity and the president.”
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