Paranoid Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his security services to prepare for a possible new military uprising after the death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin in a suspicious plane crash, according to a report.
Russian government agencies loyal to Putin are working on plans to thwart future uprisings similar to the short-lived one led by Prigozhin in June, according to two sources close to the Kremlin and a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Moscow Times.
The Wagner Group tanks that came within 124 miles of Moscow – before Prigozhin agreed to stop – made an “indelible impression” on Putin, the report said.
Prigozhin, a one-time Putin ally, has not only defied Russia’s top military leader but defied “personal orders” from Putin, posing the most serious threat to his 23-year rule, four separate sources close to the Kremlin told the publication.
Vladimir Putin is said to be preparing for a new military revival after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin.AP
As a result of the failed uprising, the 62-year-old Prigozhin was reportedly labeled as a threat to the Putin regime.
There has been much speculation about what caused Prigozhin’s private jet with 10 people on board, including the renegade Wagner Group boss — previously labeled a “traitor” by Putin — and his second-in-command, to fall from the sky on board. Tver region last week.
The country’s top criminal investigation agency, the Investigative Committee, officially confirmed Prigozhin’s death Sunday but did not say what may have caused the disaster.
The country’s top criminal investigation agency, the Investigative Committee, officially confirmed Prigozhin’s death Sunday but did not say what may have caused the disaster.AP
Initial US intelligence assessments concluded that a deliberate explosion had brought down the plane.
The Kremlin quickly shut down claims that it had orchestrated Prigozhin’s assassination in revenge for the June uprising, dismissing it as an “absolute lie.”
But doubts remain, even in Russia.
A preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded that a deliberate explosion brought down the plane.AP
“Many Wagner members believe that the government may be (behind Prigozhin’s death). And the government cannot ignore such risks,” said Oleg Ignatov, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Russia.
Just two days after the plane crash, Putin signed a decree requiring Wagner’s mercenaries and members of other paramilitary groups to sign an oath of allegiance to the Russian state, vowing to defend the “constitutional order.”
“Putin wants a tighter grip on Wagner, to ensure that he does not face repeated crises in the future,” said Natia Seskuria, an expert with the London-based Royal United Services Institute.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
