Putin furious with Prigozhin
Russian President Vladimir Putin (photo by Masaki Furumaya)
On the night of the 26th, Mr. Prigozhin, head of the Russian private military company “Wagner”, which provoked an armed rebellion in Russia, issued a statement saying that his actions were “justified protests supported by many people”. Indeed, Prigozhin has indicated his willingness to continue to oppose the Russian Defense Ministry. In response to Prigozhin’s statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his anger in a speech that evening. There is also the possibility that the Russian government will retaliate severely against Prigozhin.
(Pictured) Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District
On the 26th, the world’s media reported that Mr. Prigogine issued a statement for the first time in two days since the end of the rebellion. However, Russian state news agencies such as TASS and Russia did not report any further statements from Prigozhin on the same day. For the Putin administration, Prigozhin’s statement was unexpected and inconvenient. Prigozhin is believed to have embarked on a rebellion dubbed the “March of Justice” with the intention of demanding reform from the upper echelons of the Russian military, including Defense Minister Shoigu and Chief of Staff General Gerasimov. However, on the 24th, Russian President Vladimir Putin harshly criticized him for “taking responsibility for his betrayal” and announced the cancellation of the “march” on the same day. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that the removal of senior Russian military officials following the mutiny was not considered. He also explained that Prigozhin would leave Russia for Belarus. In addition, Mr. Prigogine disappeared on the 24th, and it was pointed out that he could have been detained or placed under house arrest. However, after Mr. Prigozhin issued a statement on the 26th and continued to criticize the Russian military as before, doubts about such remarks deepened. Igor Girkin, a former Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) colonel who led pro-Russian militants in the 2014 conflict in eastern Ukraine, has been prosecuted outside Russia as the main culprit in the downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight. that his statement was “a call for the continuation of the rebellion”, he told an exchange site (SNS) that he was “surprised” that he was able to send information criticizing the Russian Defense Ministry. Putin may have initially tried to settle the matter by dismissing Prigozhin from criminal charges and imprisoning him in Belarus due to his past achievements. However, if Prigozhin goes against Putin’s intentions, Putin could face severe punishment.
