Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu has made his first public appearance after Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin demanded his removal in a rebellion in Russia over the weekend. A video released on Monday by Shoigu's ministry showed him visiting Russian troops in Ukraine.
Wagner mercenaries seized a Russian city, Rostov-on-Don, and marched seemingly unopposed towards Moscow. Prigozhin's fighters advanced on the capital to remove Russia's corrupt and incompetent military leadership before suddenly heading back to an occupied area of eastern Ukraine after making a deal with the Kremlin to end the operation.
However, few details of the pact he agreed to have been released either by the Kremlin, Lukashenko, or Prigozhin himself.
Tensions between the mercenary chief and Russia's military have been escalating for months. At the moment, Prigozhin's whereabouts are unknown, and the Wagner chief could also be accused of "active disobedience".
The rebellion is widely viewed as a problem for Putin, who has not been challenged in such a manner in more than 20 years as leader of Russia. The UK's Ministry of Defence said this weekend's events have helped Ukraine "gain impetus" and that there has been little evidence that Russia maintains significant ground forces operational level reserves which could be used to reinforce against the multiple threats it is now facing in widely separated sectors.
Other Western diplomats noted how the Wagner uprising has displayed Russia's vulnerabilities. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the revolt "extraordinary," stating that more cracks emerge in the Russian façade. EU foreign policy chief Josef Borrell warned that the monster that Putin created with Wagner is biting him now, as the political system is showing fragilities and the military power is cracking.
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