The threat of armed insurrection against Vladimir Putin has abated as suddenly and dramatically as it erupted. We assess a dramatic day in Russia
of armed insurrection against Vladimir Putin abated on June 24th as suddenly and dramatically as it had erupted. In the morning Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, sent his armoured columns on a 1,000km race to Moscow, claiming to come within 200km and causing alarm in the Kremlin. But by evening he ordered his war-hardened veterans to turn back, saying he did not want to spill Russian blood. Social-media reports suggest his fighters were starting to pull back.
In a hastily arranged address to the nation the rattled president had accused Wagner of planting “a knife in the back” of troops fighting in Ukraine and vowed a “harsh” response. Mr Prigozhin retorted that his men were “patriots” fighting for Russia’s future. In Moscow, Red Square was closed as the mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, announced “counter-terrorist operations”.
His rage took an ominous turn when he stated that thousands of Wagner fighters had been killed by a missile strike launched not by Ukraine at the front, but “from the rear”, by Russian army units. Vowing that Wagner would “respond to this evildoing”, he announced a “march of justice” against Russia’s army, but was still careful to say it was not a “coup” against Mr Putin.
After a delay of several hours, Mr Putin appeared on his television address. He said he had been in touch with military and security-service commanders, and denounced the “betrayal of our people” caused by “inflated ambitions and personal interests”. As Western leaders monitored the situation, some will have been concerned about the safety of Russia’s nuclear arsenal, which is controlled by the president, defence minister and chief of general staff. Russia’s foreign ministry warned the West against “any hint of possible use of the domestic Russian situation to achieve their Russophobic goals”.
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