Over the weekend, a large Russian paramilitary company called The Wagner Group took control of parts of Russia, causing Putin to accuse the group of a “treasonous military uprising.”
The Wagner Group runs a network of mercenaries & is the private army of Russian Businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Prigozhin was formally known to have had close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Before becoming the leader of the Wagner Group, he was once a convict in the USSR.
Last Friday, Prigozhin released a video stating that his army was marching to stop Russia’s military & for the first time, he rejected Putin’s justification for invading Ukraine.
Through a series of audio recordings sent on Telegram by Prigozhin, he claimed that the Russian military leadership’s “evil must be stopped.” He further added that his mercenaries were “marching for justice”.
Russia’s Federal Security Services (FSB) responded by opening a criminal case against Prigozhin on the basis of him organising an “armed mutiny”.
Prigozhin announced that his men had crossed into Russia from Ukraine & were ready to go “all the way” against the Russian military.
The group entered the city of Rostov in Russia & took control of the military headquarters that
run Russian operations in Ukraine.
Putin made a televised address vowing to crush what he called an armed mutiny & accused Prigozhin of “treason” & stabbing him in the back.
Towards the end of Saturday, Putin signed a law permitting 30-day detentions for those who break martial law in places where it has been imposed due to the Russian invasion.
As a response to Putin’s law, Prigozhen ordered his troops to stand down & return to their bases. Currently, he isn’t being prosecuted for the attempted coup & he has since left Russia.
Prigozhin now resides in Belarus, following a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in order to end the armed rebellion & to avoid further bloodshed.
Even though it is considered an aborted mutiny, many people on social media claim that this only shows Putin’s weaknesses in the invasion & his inability to keep a hold of his own people.
