After what initially seemed like the first serious threat to Putin’s authority in 23 years, the Wagner group has now gone silent, with their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin practically disappearing off the face of the earth.
Of course, it doesn’t take much to know who’s probably behind this. It’s been known that Putin is more than willing to eliminate anyone opposing his views, a practice that Russian leaders seem to have perfected.
Namely, the group stormed into Russia, demanding the current Defense Minister be removed, which shook the entire nation.
It also led many to believe that some actual changes were coming; albeit this rebellion would be short-lived, as most of us overseas expected.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, stated the whereabouts of the Wagner group leader are still unknown, with the comment coming only hours after Prigozhin met with the nation’s Defense Minister.
This meeting was organized as a means of stopping the mercenaries’ march toward Moscow. This could’ve brought about a full-scale rebellion in Russia, foiling Putin’s plans to “free” Ukraine and possibly even ousting him from his position as leader.
Instead of assuring Prigozhin is safe, Peskov claimed the group’s leader won’t be prosecuted for his actions, but rather, only be exiled to Belarus after the rebellion is fully extinguished.
Those marching with Prigozhin will receive the same treatment, mainly due to their service in the Russia v. Ukraine conflict; whereas those who didn’t participate in the mutiny will be given a chance to join the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Peskov did add he’s unable to divulge any additional information on what Prigozhin will be doing in Belarus once exiled.
Although there’s little to no evidence that the man is even alive. With Putin’s rule being endangered by the sole existence of the Wagner group, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him turn up dead a few months later.
At the end of the day, the “coup” only left the Russian people confused and wanting more of what they were given a taste of.
However, the one thing that did come from this failed attempt at bringing about a revolution in Russia is the fact the assault on Ukraine is finally waning. We could be witnessing the final stages of the war in Ukraine.
Ever since the invasion started, the Russian military has been struggling to deal with the incredible fight the Ukrainian army had put up, forcing them into a losing battle with limited resources, while their opponent continues receiving help from the rest of the world.
Even though many believed the war would be over in a few weeks, it managed to drag on for more than a year. With Putin slowly losing his grip on the many military groups in Russia’s control, we may just see Ukraine come out on top.