President Vladimir Putin’s administration was unable to function effectively when Wagner launched the rebellion on June 24, Western officials say, according to the Washington Post.
Elsa Osipova,
Riikka Kajander
President of Russia Vladimir Putin learned the leader of the Russian mercenary army Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin of preparing the rebellion two to three days in advance, says The Washington Post.
Putin had been warned by the Russian security service.
According to the Washington Post’s unnamed security sources, measures were taken to improve security in several strategic locations such as the Kremlin, for example by increasing the presidential guard staff and distributing weapons.
According to a security authority source, the rebellion caused “paralysis at all levels” around the president.
– It was complete horror and confusion. For a long time, they did not know how to react, the source tells the Washington Post.
Could Putin have prevented the uprising?
According to Western security sources, Putin had plenty of time to prevent the uprising.
He could even have given the order to arrest Prigozhin.
In his speech on the morning of the uprising, Putin said that the rebels would be punished. However, the Russian regime did not arrest Prigozhin.
the director of the CIA by William J. Burns assessed last week that the Kremlin’s paralysis in the face of Wagner’s rebellion speaks to the atmosphere of fear in the Russian security administration and Prigozhin’s role in the Kremlin’s power structure.
Wagner’s leader has become a prominent figure in many Russian endeavors. The troll factory of Prigozhin’s media company spreads disinformation in favor of Russia and the Wagner soldiers promote Russian interests in Africa.
In addition, Wagner previously participated in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After the mutiny, the Wagner soldiers are said to have withdrawn from the front.
The rebellion lasted 36 hours
The mercenary company started an armed rebellion in Russia under the leadership of Prigozhin on Midsummer.
According to Western sources, because of his paralysis, the Kremlin was unable to issue orders to local officials. This resulted in the Rostov-on-Don officials having to decide for themselves how to deal with Wagner.
The coup attempt was over in about a day.
Local security officials decided not to stop the heavily armed Wagner forces because they did not receive such orders from the Kremlin, the Washington Post reports, according to its source.
On the weekend the BBC an interviewed Wagner soldier claimed that the Wagnerites did not know about the military leadership’s mutiny intentions until the day of the mutiny.