It turns out that the US had intelligence two weeks ago that the angry private military commander was planning an insurrection against Putin:
FOX NEWS – U.S. spy agencies reportedly obtained intelligence in mid-June that Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin was planning “armed action” against Russian establishment.
The Washington Post reported Saturday, citing several U.S. officials, that Prigozhin even warned the White House and other U.S. agencies of his plot “so that they were not caught off guard.”
The officials said senior leadership at the Pentagon, State Department, and in Congress were briefed on the intelligence within the past two weeks, though the exact timing of Prigozhin’s plot had remained unclear up until the Wagner leader’s takeover of military command and tank run toward Moscow Friday and Saturday.
Washington was very worried about what would happen to Russia’s nuclear arsenal if it fell into the hands of Prigozhin:
There was reportedly “high concern” in Washington over the potential prospects of what would become of Russia’s nuclear arsenal if President Vladimir Putin was removed from power and if there would be “civil war” in Russia.
Prigozhin, referred to as “Putin’s chef” due to his catering contracts with the Kremlin, had publicly protested the Russian Defense Ministry’s June 10 order that all volunteer detachments would have to sign contracts with the government, viewing the directive as an attempted takeover of the Wagner mercenary troops who played an important tactical role in Putin’s military campaign in Ukraine. A senior Ukrainian official told the Post that the Ukrainian military had been monitoring Prigozhin after the June 10 announcement and “increasingly believed that he might mobilize forces against Moscow,” though that person claimed to not have been aware of the U.S. sharing similar intelligence with Kyiv.
“Tensions between the Wagner Group and the Russian Ministry of Defense are no secret,” a senior Biden administration official told the Post, without commenting on the U.S. intelligence. “We have all seen Mr. Prigozhin publicly criticize, warn, and even threaten the Russian military on any number of occasions.”
Well for all the hubbub about Prigozhin’s anger at Putin and his military establishment, it sure dissipated quickly yesterday with their resolution. I just hope Prigozhin watches his back because people that oppose Putin don’t always have a happy ending.