Moscow. Just hours after a mercenary uprising broke out in southern Russia, things are still largely quiet in the capital, Moscow. “No one here really believes that Putin’s power is seriously threatened,” York Tomkel, a journalist currently on the scene, told JUNGE FREIHEIT on Saturday afternoon.
“I’ve been out and about in the city center a lot today. There are people everywhere, going about their normal business. Traffic on the roads is pretty normal,” he said of his impressions. His contacts told him Putin might have been prepared for this situation.
Author JF York Tomkail describes his impressions #Moscow: “People are everywhere, going about their normal business. Nobody here actually believes that Putin is in serious danger.” pic.twitter.com/1RO4QBDss0
– Young Freedom (Young_Freedom) June 24, 2023
“Maybe Prigozhin is now exactly where you want him to be.”
Red Square, for example, has been cordoned off for several days without anyone knowing exactly why. “Of course it is conceivable that a mercenary uprising around Prigozhin caught the Russian leadership unprepared,” Tomkael admitted in an interview with JF.
Perhaps a trap was set for the head of the private army, especially since his aggressive behavior had already attracted attention in the past. “Maybe now you’ve got it exactly where you want it to be.”
Parliament and the Church are behind Putin
Even hours after the outbreak of the mercenary uprising, the situation in Russia remains unclear. While the Wagner group itself reports a rapid advance in the direction of Moscow, the Kremlin administration seems unimpressed. Recently, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the news that the president had left the capital. On Saturday, he declared, “Putin works in the Kremlin.”.
In addition to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Cyril I, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and former President Dmitry Medvedev and Speaker of the Russian Parliament Vyacheslav Volodin have publicly supported Vladimir Putin.
Chechen leader Kadyrov sends soldiers against Prigozhin
Meanwhile, Chechen leader Ramz Kadyrov announced that he would use his special units to put down the rebel uprising. “We will do our best to preserve Russia’s unity and protect its state,” he said in a Telegram on Saturday. His forces are already on their way to the crisis zone.
Along with Wagner’s forces, the Chechen units are among the most ruthless military units within the Russian armed forces. She appeared in public mainly during the Battle of Mariupol. (fw/ctw)