- By Steve Rosenberg
- Russia editor
6 hours ago
video caption,
Watch: Three key moments from Putin’s unusual week
Where is Vladimir Putin? That’s what we’ve been wondering for most of Monday — two days after a dramatic Wagner Group uprising that saw a convoy of mercenary fighters en route to Moscow.
A spokesman for Mr Putin late Saturday announced an agreement to end the Wagner mutiny. But when would the President himself comment on the controversial agreement?
It was controversial because the Wagner mercenaries rebelled, seized (seemingly effortlessly) military sites, and then marched on Moscow; Russian Air Force pilots were killed in the mutiny. Still, the Kremlin had agreed not to prosecute Wagner fighters or their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in exchange for calling off the uprising.
Over the past week, President Putin has made a series of unusual public appearances – all televised – in what appears to be an attempt to calm the situation.
Monday: Address to the nation
On Monday we hear from Mr. Prigozhin: an audio message published online, in which he lays out his side of the story. He says his men traveled to Moscow to “hold accountable” the leaders he blamed for “mistakes” in the Ukraine war.
Then, late in the evening, an announcement is made. “Ready: President Putin will address the nation.” Now it seems the Kremlin boss is catching up.
Putin appears on TV screens after 10 p.m. A nightly speech from him is very unusual. Rumors are circulating on social media that this speech will “decide the fate of Russia.” With trepidation, we turn on Russian television to hear the President’s speech.
It quickly becomes clear that this address will not decide the fate of the country. There are no major announcements. But the five-minute speech offers clues as to how the Kremlin will use the weekend’s dramatic events to its advantage.
Putin paints a picture of a Russia united to defeat the treachery of the Wagner leaders.
He tries to get everyone on his side: he thanks the Russian public, Russian officials, religious leaders, the Russian armed forces and its security services. He distinguishes between the leaders of the mutiny and the regular Wagner fighters and commanders, whom he lauds as patriots. Crucially, he portrays himself as the man who prevented great bloodshed.
“As soon as these events became apparent,” he says, “measures were taken under my direct orders to avoid bloodshed.”
Do you remember the controversy I spoke about? He doesn’t go into that. But hey, Russia has come back from the abyss. That’s the main thing.
Tuesday: Face to face with the troops
On Monday he played to catch up. Full steam ahead Tuesday morning to restore his authority.
At a hastily arranged event, the Russian authorities place great emphasis on pageantry and ceremonies. Around 2,500 soldiers, Russian guards and security officers are lined up on the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square. This is the site of the coronation (and funeral) processions of Russian tsars.
Cue Putin: to the President’s fanfare, he descends the Kremlin’s many steps into the square (red carpet throughout, of course) and against the backdrop of the onion-domed Kremlin cathedrals, the President – and supreme commander – delivers a speech to his troops.
But even before he begins to speak, the pictures say it all. Here everything is in one place: the Orthodox Church, the Kremlin, the President and the army. It reminds me of the old Imperial Russian slogan: “For the Faith, for the Tsar and the Fatherland.”
In other words, the visual message here is about portraying Russia as a country behind Vladimir Putin. It’s almost as if they want Russians to believe that the church, the military, and the president are connected, even part of a whole.
In his brief address, President Putin again claims that Russian society has come together again after the Wagner mutiny. But most of what he says is praising his military for “stopping a civil war.”
There is a minute’s silence for the Luftwaffe pilots who were killed. The President pays his respects but still doesn’t address why Wagner fighters aren’t being prosecuted for their deaths.
talk over Call out the national anthem and a gun salute.
Overall message: The president doesn’t just call the shots. With the help of the Russian army and the Russian people, he has just won a great victory.
Wednesday: Very close
This is probably the most surprising Putin video of the week – maybe of the year. That’s because he’s very unlike Putin when it comes to getting as close to the crowd as possible.
The official reason for President Putin’s visit to Dagestan is to chair a meeting on domestic tourism.
But it is not the meeting that later dominates the news on Russian television. It’s the crazy scenes that follow.
The Kremlin chief can be seen being hounded by an enthusiastic crowd in the town of Derbent.
We’ve gotten used to Vladimir Putin keeping his distance from those he comes in contact with. Remember those long Kremlin tables with Putin safely seated at one end and his guests at the other?
Not here. In Dagestan, he kisses children, hugs women, shakes hands and poses for photos.
“Screaming, squealing, applause,” exclaims the host of a popular talk show on the Russia-1 channel. “Even rock stars don’t get that welcome. The West scoffs at the weakening of the president after the Prigozhin mutiny. This proves that the opposite is the case.”
Putin’s behavior seems so atypical. On the other hand, nothing feels particularly normal in Russia anymore.
The Russian President had just survived an armed mutiny. Perhaps he feels the need to show the country, the political elite, and himself that he still has supporters out there. A “spontaneous” expression of public worship would be just the ticket.
Looking at these pictures, I suddenly remember what happened last weekend after the agreement to end the mutiny was reached. When Wagner fighters led by Mr. Prigozhin left Rostov on Saturday night, they were cheered on the streets.
Did Vladimir Putin see these pictures? Does he feel the need for his own “hero” moment?
We’ll probably never know.
Thursday: Standing ovation…and doodles
President Putin attends an economic conference on Russian brands in Moscow. It’s not exactly another rock star moment.
Yet every opportunity must be given to show that he is (a) in charge, (b) active, and (c) has the support of the people.
The Russian President is applauded as he enters the hall. He sits down and listens as one of the organizers gives the opening speech.
“Vladimir Vladimirovich, together with you and the whole country, we too experienced the events of June 24 [the mutiny] out of fear,” she says to Putin. “We are all on your side and we all support you.”
As if to prove it, the delegates gave Vladimir Putin a standing ovation.
We see another, slightly more bizarre, video of the same event. President Putin doodles on an interactive whiteboard.
The result is a cartoonish red face with three strands of hair. A strange image from a leader who has learned the art of political survival.
Lines of loyal troops, gun salutes, screaming fans and a standing ovation. With pictures like this, the Kremlin boss is trying to show that he’s back in control.
He even has time to doodle. He needs to feel safe.
After the mutiny, we saw a turbocharged Putin this week. He was here, he was there, he seemed to be everywhere. It was almost as if he had started his campaign for re-election (his term as president expires next year).
But positive images do not change the fact that the uprising took the Kremlin by surprise. It was a threat. The Wagner fighters were on their way to Moscow when the mutiny was called off. It was an unprecedented challenge to Putin’s authority.
And the long-term consequences of this are still unclear.