Devendra Kumar
US congressional leaders were briefed on a build-up of Wagner forces near the Russian border days before their commander claimed the attacks that sparked their rebellion against Russia took place. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, said his mercenary unit’s camps in Ukraine had been attacked by rival forces from the Russian military on Friday, leading to them taking over the strategic city of Rostov-on-Don and marching towards Moscow. However, reports suggest that US intelligence briefings on Wagner’s troop build-up had been taking place earlier in the week.
Wagner troops have played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut. However, Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military top brass, accusing them of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. The brief revolt fizzled out after a deal was struck between Mr Prigozhin and the Kremlin, which saw him retire to Belarus and his troops return to their field camps in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had vowed to punish those behind the armed uprising, calling it a “betrayal” and “treason”. However, by allowing Mr Prigozhin and his forces to go free, Putin seemed to prioritize “avoiding bloodshed and internal confrontation with unpredictable results”. The deal has left some observers questioning Putin’s strong man image, with former US ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst telling CNN that Putin has been “diminished for all time by this affair”.
Moscow had braced for the arrival of the Wagner forces by erecting checkpoints with armoured vehicles and troops on the city’s southern edge. About 3,000 Chechen soldiers were pulled from fighting in Ukraine and rushed to Moscow early on Saturday. Russian troops armed with machine guns set up checkpoints on Moscow’s southern outskirts, and crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march.
Wagner troops advanced to just 200 kilometers from Moscow, according to Mr Prigozhin, before announcing their retreat to avoid “shedding Russian blood”. The Ukrainian government hoped that the Russian infighting would create opportunities for their army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that even with a deal, Putin’s position has probably been weakened.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late on Saturday that the march exposed weakness in the Kremlin and “showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs” that it is easy to capture Russian cities “and, probably, arsenals”. The deal has left some uncertainty over what will happen next, but it seems clear that Putin’s authority has been challenged by the rebellion.