The Wagner rebellion has been called off but Putin has never looked weaker
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation, in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Picture: Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
For months Yevgeny Prigozhin has theatrically railed against Russia’s military leaders. He has lambasted the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and commander in chief, Valery Gerasimov, accusing them of bungling and incompetence over the war in Ukraine.
In one video Prigozhin blamed Moscow for the deaths of soldiers from his Wagner mercenary unit. Their bodies were piled up behind him. In a letter, he challenged Shoigu to visit the bloody Ukrainian frontline for himself, where Wagner troops have been fighting and dying in the eastern city of Bakhmut.
