Wagner’s boss Yevgeny Prigozhin interrupted his march on Moscow on Saturday after realizing he had gone “too far”. and after Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to speak to him. This is indicated by a reconstruction of the events published this Monday by the Russian opposition media “Meduza”.
According to anonymous sources close to the Russian government cited by the Riga-based information portal, at noon on June 24, Prigozhin tried to contact the Kremlin and even “tried to call Putin, but the president did not want to talk to him.” .
The leader of the mercenary group realized that he “had gone too far” and that the prospects that his column – which was already approaching the first line of defense of the Russian regular forces and the National Guard – could continue advancing were slim.
When the Kremlin noticed that Prigozhin was aware of the sensitivity of his situation, a second round of negotiations took place to avoid a “bloody confrontation”, after some first contacts on the night of June 23, shortly after the head of Wagner announced his insurrection.
(It may interest you: Is Vladimir Putin’s power in Russia at risk after the Wagner group rebellion?)
The leader of the mercenary group realized that he had gone too far.
According to information from “Meduza”, the Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, and Putin’s chief of staff, Anton Vaino, took part in the negotiations on Saturday.
“Prigozhin needed a reliable third party to have a way out and save face,” said the source of “Meduza”, noting that Lukashenko had volunteered for this role to benefit from the role of being the one who “saves Russia from bloodshed.” or worse still, a potential civil war”.
(Also: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the unpredictable head of the Wagner paramilitary group?)
The fate of Wagner’s boss -whose current whereabouts are unknown- is still uncertain, but according to “Meduza” sources he was “expelled” from Russia and Putin “will not forgive” the insurrection declared by Prigozhin last Friday night.
There is the possibility that after what happened there will be changes at the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense – one of the demands of Prigozhin, in conflict with the head of defense, Serguei Shoigu -, according to the Russian opposition media.
(Also: Russia: how is the situation after the departure of the head of the Wagner group from the country?)
But in this case, according to his sources, it will be due more “to the internal problems of the Ministry” than to a possible agreement with the leader of the mercenary company, since “Putin almost never bows to pressure.”
Prigozhin announced an insurrection against Russian military commanders on Friday night, after one of Wagner’s bases in eastern Ukraine was allegedly bombed by Moscow, something the Kremlin denied.
(Keep reading: The Wagner group: what is it and what is its relationship with the Russian government?)
The column of mercenary forces took the city of Rostov on Don and advanced on the Russian capital throughout Saturday, but when it was about 200 kilometers from Moscow. Nonetheless, Prigozhin announced the withdrawal to “avoid bloodshed.”
EFE
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