Posted on 06/24/2023 8:53:39 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
If this is the end of the coup attempt, talk about anti-climactic. Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Wagner Group, a Kremlin-backed mercenary army, seemed poised to create a political crisis when his troops began to march north toward Moscow from southern Russia. They had reportedly seized some cities in the Lipetsk province. Putin reportedly fled Moscow earlier this morning while security forces were on high alert. Most of Russia’s forces are bogged down in Ukraine, which made this situation more perilous for Putin and his allies.
Prigozhin has close ties to the Russian president, nicknamed “Putin’s chef,” due to his catering businesses’ relationship with the Kremlin. He also operates multiple technology companies which have been accused of peddling propaganda. He landed in treasonous waters when he accused the military leadership of being “evil,” accusing them of sparking a war in Ukraine based on lies. He described his uprising as grounded in justice and righteousness and called for rebellion against the ruling order. Of course, an investigation into him was opened by Russian authorities shortly after his screed.
Wagner’s forces reportedly were around 124 miles (200 kilometers) from Moscow before being ordered to withdraw. This order was given probably due to the lack of manpower; this wasn’t an army marching on the city in the likes of Napoleon or Nazi Germany. It was perhaps no more than 5,000 men, which is inadequate to lay siege to a metropolis. Now, it appears to be over with, with Prigozhin agreeing to relocate to Belarus and face no charges over this incident (via Associated Press):
Prigozhin says it's over:
"They were going to dismantle PMC Wagner. We came out on 23 June to the March of Justice. In a day, we walked to nearly 200km away from Moscow. In this time, we did not spill a single drop of blood of our fighters. Now, the moment has come when blood…— Dmitri (@wartranslated) June 24, 2023
Anyone else think this is crazy weird? Coup is over? What now?— The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) June 24, 2023
The rebellious Russian mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow before abruptly reversing course will move to neighboring Belarus and not face prosecution, the Kremlin said Saturday, as part of a deal to defuse a crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power.
The charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin for mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped and the troops who joined him also will not be prosecuted, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced, and fighters from his Wagner Group who did not take part in the uprising will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry.
Putin had vowed to punish those behind the armed uprising led by his onetime protege, whose forces seized a key military facility in southern Russia before advancing on the capital. In a televised speech to the nation, Putin called the rebellion a “betrayal” and “treason.”
In allowing Prigozhin and his forces to go free, Peskov said Putin’s “highest goal” was “to avoid bloodshed and internal confrontation with unpredictable results.”
Moscow had braced for the arrival of the Wagner forces by erecting checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on the city’s southern edge. Red Square was shut down, and the mayor urged motorists to stay off some roads.
But after the deal was struck, Prigozhin announced that while his men were just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, he had decided to retreat to avoid “shedding Russian blood.” His troops were ordered back to their field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian regular soldiers.
Prigozhin has demanded the ouster of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, long the target of his withering criticism for his conduct of the war in Ukraine. On Friday, he accused forces under Shoigu’s command of attacking Wagner camps and killing “a huge number of our comrades.” The Defense Ministry has denied this.
[…]
Early Saturday, Prigozhin’s private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow, which runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said.
So, is that it? Does this mean the coup attempt is over? It would appear so, and while there are no reports regarding Prigozhin getting his grievances addressed, I’m sure he’s happy he’ll be able to live in exile. However, Belarus is essentially Russia, and it wouldn’t be shocking if something happened to this guy later.
There will be speculation about whether this was a legitimate attempt or staged. Who knows? Both sides have incentives to lie; even the Ukrainians have a vested interest in ginning up the propaganda on this story for obvious reasons.
We’ll keep you updated, but if you expected to see Putin ousted, though I’m not sure that was ever going to happen, no dice this time.
The neocons would have been happy at first if Prigozhin had taken over the Russian govt. Suppose in that case Prigozhin started attacking NATO countries. (They might like that too.) Also the media would have written hagiographies about Biden's "brilliant" strategy.
Prigozhin has American representation.
I think he has the same talent agency as Schwarzenegger.
The Neocons around here were drooling.
Yep, they were beating war drums louder than the Houston Astros beat garbage cans.
It’s hilarious the way you fools are led around by the media and biden admin. They are lying to you, and have been for years. One day you will realize that. But you’ll probably be one of the last ones, what with your IQ so low and all that. I assume anyone who would post a Brady Bunch meme must be about a 70 IQ, but I don’t want to give you too much credit.
This sudden cave by Prigozhin says that this was never a revolution. It was Putin’s false flag operation to dreg out Russian dissidents, expose them, and “deal with” them.
Prigozhin was never Putin’s enemy.
Prigozhin was never Putin’s enemy. Maybe Putin wants him in Belarus with a Wagner army, to, at the right moment, sweep in and take Kiev? He could do it with his merry band of war criminals. This might only be a set up for the Third Act of the play “Moscow; The Third Rome!” Watch what happens in Serbia in the next few weeks.
If Prozhigin’s march to Moscow was a ruse to soak up NATO/CIA satellite reconnaissance assets and allow the transfer of Russian troops to another battle front unmolested, that could only be a reminder to the witch Victoria Nuland that you don’t want to play chess against Russians. If not...maybe the Russian general staff should be more grateful for Wagner’s offensive in Bahkmut and slip his troops a bonus paycheck. Prozhigin’s splitting his forces into 3 columns would have saturated satellite recon capability, so I’ll weigh that in on the side of a master chess move. Depends on how the shifting of Russian troops north plays out. It puts them much closer to Kiev, for one thing.
RE: Depends on how the shifting of Russian troops north plays out. It puts them much closer to Kiev, for one thing.
The Ukrainians are not stupid, they are aware of that every step of the way. They play chess too. After over a year of this misnamed, special operation, we should learn by now, not to underestimate the underdog.
p
What are the odds Yevgeny Prigozhin will be meeting with someone in the near future - the top of a tall building, trip near a window and fall to his death?
Attempted Coup ......NOT~!
It was a false flag operation from the get go based on the Russian military doctrine of “Reflexive Control.”
This is described accurately by former Russian Intel operative Rebeka Koffler:
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6330059348112
Most of the commentary we have seen in the press is mostly by people who do not know what they are talking about.They do not see deeply enough into the events.
There has been a subtle widening of the war into Belarus in preparation for a foray into Poland by Putin. Thats why the Russian nukes and Prighozin are both there in Belarus.A version of Wagner will now be secretly created in Belarus.
Russian-born former US intelligence officer (DIA, CIA).
Thanks for the factoid update, Being a poor writer, I meant to say she was an intel operative re Russia. She has a book out:
https://www.amazon.com/Putins-Playbook-Russias-Secret-America/dp/1684510031
Wiki:
https://wikibiography.in/rebekah-koffler-wiki-bio/
Elon is hilarious
The guy served Russia well for several years and then became mentally ill. He will be spared because of illness.
Lol, the only people I ever meet who try to insult strangers about their “IQ” are people who are subpar themselves and feel very sensitive about it.
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