The key players in Saturday’s dramatic failed Russian coup attempt remain elusive days later, and even new videos of Defense Minister Shoigu and President Putin are unclear at their provenance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to have survived Saturday’s coup attempt, or at least an armed attack to force the resignation of the defense minister accused of corruption and incompetence, but the central figures in the conspiracy have actually collapsed. It doesn’t seem to cover since.
Even during the weekend’s events, Putin himself was barely seen, only breaking under the covers and delivering a short address to the Russian public on Saturday morning, vowing severe punishment for traitors. He hasn’t been seen in public for the last few days.
Nevertheless, the Russian press release tries to give the usual impression. Putin called the Iranian president on Monday to discuss energy policy, according to Russian state media TASS. The Kremlin also released a new video of the president speaking at the youth event “Engineers of the Future 2023”.
Belarus’s Lukashenko cuts off talks with Prigozhin, Wagner’s March on Moscow canceledhttps://t.co/3uHDaQJHgG
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 24, 2023
It is unclear exactly when and where this video was recorded, but it is possible that it was pre-recorded. Putin’s relaxed body language and smile, wishing good luck to the schools and college students participating in the program, and the fact that he makes no mention of Russia’s political crisis, may provide some clues.
Every wall street journalPutin’s spokesman claims the president is still in the Kremlin, but flight tracking data shows that two of Putin’s jets left Moscow on Saturday and headed for St. Petersburg. .
Today, Putin’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu also appears in a new video that some claim is likely to be a pre-recording that has now been released to show a calm look. He was likely the prime target of Friday’s uprising and is the object of long-standing hatred of Wagner PMC leader Evgeny Prigozhin.
It is widely speculated that one of the costs of Prigozhin’s effort to rebuild the army over the weekend was the dismissal of Defense Minister Shoigu, making his absence all the more conspicuous. In a direct response to these speculations, the ministry on Monday released a new video of Shoigu, who is said to be visiting the front lines.
While the footage shows that Putin maintains his credibility and standing in government, the provenance of the video remains unclear in terms of time and place. Footage from inside Shoigu’s helicopter and at the army headquarters is shown, but it’s difficult to know when it was recorded. as reported To Guardiansome have pointed out that Shoigu visited the Russian army on the Friday before the so-called coup began, so the video could have been made at that time.
Theater of War? Wagner could launch surprise attack on Ukraine from Belarus, ex-British War Secretary warnshttps://t.co/FGy1BRmQLn
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 25, 2023
The final figure in this drama is Wagner PMC leader Evgeny Prigozhin himself, who, if not already dead, has signed an agreement to end Wagner’s “March for Justice” in Moscow. He was reportedly exiled to Belarus as part of it. The mercenary general was last seen fleeing Rostov-on-Don with his army from Rostov-on-Don in the backseat of a car, smiling and joking.
Russian officials, including President Putin himself, who promised severe punishment in a televised address on Saturday morning, are calling for harsh justice for Prigozhin. Exactly what was included in the pact between Prigozhin that ended the rebellion and Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko, and how after Prigozhin’s safe escape, the pact ended? The extent to which it will be respected by the Russian government remains to be seen.
Indeed, Russia announced on Monday morning that a criminal investigation was underway against Prigozhin on charges of “armed mutiny”, and Prigozhin’s original claim of legal immunity in exchange for his resignation has already been forgotten. seems to be “The criminal case against Prigogine is not over yet. The investigation continues,” the Moscow prosecutor general reportedly said.
