Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has mocked Russian authorities as “weak” amid reports of a new phone call between the leaders of Belarus and Russia.
Reznikov says he has discussed the turmoil in Russia in a phone call with his US counterpart, describing the Russian authorities as “weak” and saying things are “moving in the right direction”.
In a brief readout of the call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Reznikov said they also discussed Ukraine’s counteroffensive and steps to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces.
“We agree that the Russian authorities are weak and that withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine is the best choice for the Kremlin,” Reznikov wrote on Twitter.
Heavily armed Russian mercenaries have withdrawn from the southern Russian city of Rostov under a deal that halted their rapid advance on Moscow.
Ending their short-lived mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group began heading back to their bases late on Saturday in return for guarantees of their safety.
Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not commented publicly since the deal was struck to deescalate one of the biggest challenges since he rose to power more than two decades ago.
State television said Putin would attend a meeting of Russia’s Security Council this coming week, without elaborating, and Belarus’ Belta news agency says Putin and Lukashenko spoke again on Sunday, after at least two calls on Saturday.
Prigozhin, 62, was seen leaving the district military headquarters in Rostov — hundreds of kilometres south of Moscow — late on Saturday in a sport utility vehicle.
His whereabouts on Sunday were not known.
A former Putin ally and ex-convict whose forces have fought the bloodiest battles of the 16-month war in Ukraine, Prigozhin said his decision to advance on Moscow was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested the turmoil in Russia could take months to play out.
“We’ve seen more cracks emerge in the Russian facade. It is too soon to tell exactly where they go and when they get there. But certainly, we have all sorts of new questions that Putin is going to have to address in the weeks and months ahead,” Blinken told NBC on Sunday.
After capturing Rostov – the main rear logistical hub for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — the mercenaries began what Prigozhin called a “march for justice” on Saturday, transporting tanks and armoured trucks hundreds of kilometres north and smashing barricades set up to stop them before the deal to stand down.
The mood on the streets of Rostov on Sunday was mainly one of relief.
“It was scary … Everyone is glad that nothing bad happened … It did not come to an armed clash,” said resident Dmitry, who declined to give his surname. “There are very serious problems in the country, and they need to be solved.”
In Moscow, where there was little evidence on Sunday of increased security, some expressed a measure of understanding for Prigozhin’s position.
“The opinions of a person who has a certain weight in society should probably be heard by the authorities,” Oleg said.
Monday has been declared a non-working day in the Russian capital to allow time for things to settle.
Under the deal, brokered late on Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a criminal case opened against Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped, Prigozhin would move to Belarus, and Wagner fighters who rallied to his cause would face no action, in recognition of their previous service to Russia.
Peskov said Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Putin’s approval, because he had known Prigozhin personally for about 20 years.
Prigozhin has for months accused Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters as they battled to take Bakhmut in Ukraine.
This month, Prigozhin defied orders to place his troops under Defence Ministry command.
He launched the rebellion on Friday after alleging the military had killed some of his men in an air strike, which the Defence Ministry denied.
Thinking about what Putin’s next step will be, what he will say when he next makes an appearance, and i am guessing it will be the following:
the battle weary hero Prigozhin became confused and paranoid. He was made to calm down and see the light, and agreed to go to Belarus for the sake of the war effort. Similarly, the brave soldiers of Wagner, whose only crime was loyalty to their confused leader, have also seen the light, and are ready to rejoin the good fight, only this time as proud members of the proper defence forces. How good is that!
Behind the scenes, Prigozhin will be watched like a hawk. I don’t think he’ll be falling out of windows in the near future, unless he tries organising another action. If he keeps quiet, Putin can wait a few years before arranging the accident.
The soldiers of Wagner who were guaranteed their safety (hah!!) will be closely scrutinised, and the ones Putin really doesn’t like, will all die on the battlefield quite soon. Similarly, footage of civilians who were cheering on Prigozhin will be analysed, those people rounded up, conscripted, and sent to the front lines for cannon fodder.
A ruthless purge of the upper ranks will also be happening, as Putin gets rid of anyone he even vaguely suspects of not being 100%.
Just a guess from me, but i can’t see what else he can do and hope to stay in power.
This mini revolt could be Putin’s Stauffenberg Valkyrie moment from WW2 – a failure, but things were never the same afterwards.
You’d hope it’s a Von Stauffenberg moment, but it might be more an Ernst Rohm moment. Either way, if I were Progozhin, I wouldn’t be drinking tea with the KGB.
Ha! Agree.
the big diff between the Rohm moment and the Stauffy moment though, imo at least, is that the Rohm purge was when H. was on his way up, and it was of course instigated by H himself. Then he had his purple patch, where it seemed he was unassailable, but then…after things started going not so brilliantly on the battle fields….the Stauffenberg coup attempt was like when someone finally says out loud what people have been privately beginning to think – and it’s hard to put the genie back in the bottle after that.
I’m trying to be objective, but this could also be wishful thinking on my part. Was disappointed when Prigozhin backed down.
Anyway, only time will tell! 🙂
Always a risk for Ukraine & the west to get too triumphal in the circs. Like many from the Russian side criticising it’s war I’m thinking Prigozhin’s complaints are based not on the war being morally, ethically or strategically wrong but on feeling Putin has not gone far enough & should have had a general mobilisation of his full military from the start. It remains to be seen but Putin seems astute enough to recognise this & I’d bet it’s more likely we end up with escalation if not full mobilisation rather than withdrawal.
Very true. Those suggesting that Putin “should be taken out” one way or another, do not realize that his successor may be more hawkish and escalate the conflict.
Wagners contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence expired 23 of June. Russian MOD wanted Wagner soldiers to re-sign with them which would have brought Wagner under direct Russian MOD control. This was unacceptable to Prigozhin who was starting to get drunk on power and celebrity from Wagners successes and would stifle his ambitions. He also was involved in an acrimonious personal feud with the Minister of Defence Shoigu and several top generals. He wanted a change in military leadership. Unlikely he had any particular quarrel with Putin. He hoped his show of rebellion would sway other Russian generals, politicians, the public and army units to support him. Wagner shooting down Russian aircraft and helicopters did not help his position and was a huge own goal. He lost any support he may have had. Once he realised his strategy was going to fail he quickly caved in to negotiate an exit strategy to save his skin and avoid further bloodshed. Wagner will now be incorporated into the regular Russian military. Another example that it’s never a good idea to privatise essential services.
Another example that it’s never a good idea to privatise essential services. – haha – too true
Thanks for that SGT F.
This is the most realistic piece of analysis of this situation I have read over the last couple of days.
The West are pumping this up to be a major catastrophe for Russia, that is going to bring down Putin, halt the Russian War Effort, and provide Ukraine with an unlikely victory. A lot of wishful thinking.
Prigohzin is probaly smart enough to not trust Putin. He knows Putin will come after him, especially now he is seperated from his army. The officers in the Wagner group should also be thinking about where they can imigrate. Putin will make sure there are a lot of dead bodies over this behaviour.
The grunts should be ok if they dont attract attention to theselves.
From what I understand not one officer from Wagner joined Proghzin in this escapade, it was all NCOs and under.
That footage of ‘Lukashenko meets Putin’ …. put me in mind of Noddy and Big Ears…..
… “You funny little Noddy! What have you gotten yourself into this time….?”