Vladimir Putin was “mortally wounded” and his fight to stay in power had only just begun, it was said last night.
Western officials warned that his hold on Russia was crumbling as questions about his whereabouts mounted after the attempted coup.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hinted that the tumultuous 24-hour mutiny led by the head of a breakaway Russian army, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has exposed “real cracks” in Putin’s grip on power.
Alicia Kearns, chair of the Special Committee on Foreign Affairs, warned that Putin could launch a desperate purge to survive.
The senior Tory MP raised the prospect that Russian intelligence could have hidden the impending coup from Putin when it emerged that both Britain and the US had information that the leader of the Wagner group had troops nearby for several days the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Western officials warned that his hold on Russia was crumbling as questions about his whereabouts mounted after the attempted coup
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hinted that the tumultuous 24-hour mutiny led by the head of a breakaway Russian army, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has exposed “real cracks” in Putin’s grip on power
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has hinted that the turbulent 24-hour mutiny led by the head of a breakaway Russian army, Yevgeny Prigozhin (pictured), has exposed “real cracks” in Putin’s grip on power
The Russian President has not been seen since delivering an emergency message imploring Russians not to join Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed coup (pictured)
Taken by surprise, the Russian military had to scramble to defend Moscow when Prigozhin’s soldiers advanced unopposed into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and within 120 miles of the capital.
Yesterday Ms Kearns said the UK Government had known for several days. Sources in the US claimed that congressional leaders were also briefed on the Wagner upgrade early last week, contradicting Prigozhin’s claim that his uprising was in response to a Russian military attack on his camps in Ukraine on Friday.
“I think our government knew something was coming for a few days,” she said. “That means the Russian secret service obviously should have had an inkling about it. Didn’t the Russian secret service think they were capable of taking action against Moscow, or did they lie to Putin because they were afraid of him?
On Saturday, Prigozhin, the ruthless leader of the 25,000-strong mercenary group, was hailed as a hero after sensationally cutting off his group’s march on Moscow in the 11th hour.
In a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin agreed to call off his push in exchange for having criminal charges against him and his supporters dropped, with the added incentive of a multimillion-dollar payout in exile.
Soldiers from the PMC Wagner Group were seen moving out of downtown Rostov-on-Don and returning to their bases on Saturday night
Soldiers from the PMC Wagner Group were seen moving out of downtown Rostov-on-Don and returning to their bases on Saturday night
But there are signs that Putin’s fight for survival is far from over. Ms Kearns said the gates were open for others to challenge the Russian leader: “It’s definitely not over yet,” she said. “This is not just a power struggle between Putin and Prigozhin. It has raised questions about the country’s overall stability.
“Nobody believes that Prigozhin will go to Belarus and live out his life there in peace.” Putin…is mortally wounded, but I don’t think anyone can say that Putin is finished. There’s nothing Putin hates more than a traitor.
Yevgeny Prigozhin was last seen cheered by Rostov-on-Don locals after his troops stormed the Russian military headquarters there
The reveal came after an electrifying day of drama:
Jets linked to Putin returned to Moscow yesterday after fleeing the city on Saturday.
In Ukraine, happy forces scored important battlefield victories as Putin faced the prospect of having to remove both his defense minister and chief of staff as the price of ending the coup.
Wagner forces claimed they shot down Russian helicopters and a military aircraft, reportedly killing 39 pilots and crew, causing the Luftwaffe’s worst daily loss in the war.
Prigozhin’s whereabouts were unknown last night and there were no signs that he arrived safely in Belarus. A spokesman for Prigozhin told Russian broadcaster RTVI that he was “out of touch”.
It came as Mr Blinken said he didn’t think “we saw the final act of the Wagner-Putin rebellion”. “Sixteen months ago, Russian forces stood on the doorstep of Kiev, Ukraine, thinking they would take the city in a matter of days and thinking they were going to wipe Ukraine off the map as an independent country,” he told CBS News.
He added, “Prigozhin himself throughout this incident raised profound questions about the very premises of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, saying that Ukraine or NATO posed no threat to Russia, which is part of Putin’s narrative.” And it was a direct challenge to Putin’s authority. So this raises deep questions, it shows real cracks.”
Western leaders have expressed concern over unrest in Russia, which has the world’s largest nuclear arsenal.
Daniel Hoffman, the former CIA chief in Moscow, suggested that a renegade Russian leader could steal a nuclear warhead if Putin’s claim to power weakened.
Putin has not been seen since delivering a pre-recorded speech on Saturday, in which he said he was “confident” that his forces would implement their plans related to the “special military operation” in Ukraine.
According to Flightradar24, two jets linked to the president left Moscow on Saturday but have since returned to the city. It is unclear if he was on board.