Wagner’s Rebellion is still having an impact. For American experts, the insurgents around Yevgeny Prigozhin continue to pose a threat to Vladimir Putin’s regime, while the Russian propaganda apparatus is busy reinterpreting the past.
“Putin continues to allow Wagner and Prigozhin to operate in Russia and potentially pose a threat to his regime,” said an analysis by the US Institute for War Studies ISW in Washington.
Even two weeks after the short-lived Wagner uprising with probably 25,000 mercenaries against the Russian military leadership, Prigozhin and the commanders were able to move freely in Russia. According to the ISW experts, Putin is either remarkably confident in Prigozhin’s pledged loyalty or is incapable of taking action against the Wagner forces.
The state media is in full swing
The Kremlin chief had promised Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries impunity after they surprisingly put an end to the uprising. The president offered the mercenaries to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense to retreat home or to neighboring Belarus.
According to British intelligence experts, the state-controlled Russian media was taken by surprise by the uprising of the Wagner mercenary group. This is according to the daily intelligence report of the Ministry of Defense in London on Sunday. Accordingly, the normal program on Russian TV continued as usual.
After the uprising ended, Russian channels first tried to refute claims that the security forces had been passive, according to the British. Instead, they sought to feed the narrative that President Vladimir Putin had triumphed by successfully ending the uprising without bloodshed.
A week later, Prigozhin’s importance was downplayed and his character questioned. Wagner’s channels in the social network Telegram, on the other hand, were probably shut down due to state intervention. Putin tried to show strength with public appearances.
Where are the Wagner mercenaries?
It is difficult to estimate how many mercenaries there are in Belarus now. The ISW experts referred to statements by a Wagner commander that the troops were currently on vacation until August. According to commander Anton Elizarov, battle name Lotos, the Kremlin could also try to control the mercenaries operating in Africa and the Middle East.
A detailed outline of the whereabouts of the troops could last until the fall. The exact arrangements between Putin and his former confidante Prigozhin and other consequences of the Wagner uprising, which soon ended, also remained unclear.
“But Ukraine has already benefited from the uprising and can still benefit from it,” the ISW analysis said. Wagner was once Russia’s most effective combat unit in Ukraine, but is unlikely to play a role in Kiev’s ongoing counter-offensive. Moscow’s warfare capabilities could also be permanently weakened.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
