On Monday evening, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a short speech on Russian state television for the first time since the rebellion instigated by Wagner director Yevgeny Prigozhin.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin thanked the Russian people on Monday evening for “endurance, togetherness and patriotism”. He also thanked army commanders and the mercenary group Wagner’s soldiers, who helped “avoid bloodshed.”
Director of the Foreign Policy Institute Mika Aaltola considers the speech weak if it is compared to Putin’s televised speech on Saturday morning after the uprising broke out. Then Putin called the rebels traitors. On Monday night there was another sound on the clock.
– Here national reconciliation was massaged and forgiveness was given, Aaltola said in an interview with Radio Suomen Päivä.
Aaltola estimated that Putin’s speech had been refined many times, and that it was weaker than expected.
– It was like an X-ray of Russia at the moment. Putin is trying to restore his power, his monopoly of power, relatively diluted. Maybe he doesn’t want or can do it more blatantly. Or maybe those actions will wait for the right moment.
“Wagner is capable of extorting concessions”
Aaltola points out that Putin’s speech was only one step in “this episode”, and it is not known what Putin will do next.
– It remains to be seen, but Wagner was offered a place of escape, the opportunity to join the Russian armed forces. Wagner is clearly important to Putin. Wagner’s leader (Yevgeny Prigozhin) is somewhat capable of extorting concessions from Putin that he doesn’t like. He doesn’t like concessions.
Putin offered Wagner a reconciliation, but Aaltola points out that in Russia agreements often don’t stick.
– We haven’t seen the last plays yet, and there may be new episodes ahead, as Wagner kind of cleared the way for the rebellion. There may be more.
Putin’s power is at stake?
According to the director of the Foreign Policy Institute, Putin’s speech was aimed at Russians. Putin wanted to say that Russia is stable and the situation is under his control.
– That’s how he once came to power, but in reality, Russia is not stable with Putin’s power currently at stake.
In Russia, the speech can be considered as agreed, but outside of Russia, the interpretation is different.
– Abroad, it is seen as a weakness, Mika Aaltola estimates.