Events in Russia – the troops of the insurgent leader of the “Wagner Group” apparently advancing towards Moscow – were also the subject of Forum Europe participants at Göttweig Abbey in Lower Austria on Saturday. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) was concerned: “Nuclear weapons must not fall into the wrong hands,” he said. Nehammer has convened the crisis cabinet for Sunday and the National Security Council for next week.
AUSTRIA. Nehammer is in contact with EU colleagues, Western secret services are constantly analyzing the situation in Russia.
“Very chaotic place”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was also in Göttweig, said the EU must not allow itself to be distracted from supporting Ukraine. It is a “very chaotic situation in Russia” that leads to instability and “clearly contradicts Moscow’s propaganda of recent months”. You can already see “that the propaganda about the compactness and cohesion of the Russian regime is wrong”, emphasized Meloni. Immediately after returning to Rome, she called a government meeting with Italian secret services.
Nehammer emphasized the joint approach with Italy and other EU partners. “Events in the Russian Federation are always of extreme strategic importance because Russia has biological, chemical and nuclear weapons.” on Sunday, the government crisis team.
Wagner Revolt in Russia
Faced with the rebellion of the mercenary head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, against the Russian government, the capital Moscow is preparing for possible violent conflicts. According to media reports, while armed soldiers and police occupied positions in the south of the city on Saturday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin had already declared Monday a day off. This is necessary “to minimize risks,” he said in a statement. There are only a few exceptions. The mayor appealed to the population not to move around the city if possible. It is possible that the roads will be closed. The situation is difficult, an anti-terrorist operation is underway.
In the south of Moscow, Russian soldiers fortified a position with machine guns, photos published by the Vedomosti newspaper showed. The footage also showed heavily armed police gathered at one location on the M4 motorway, which links the south of the country with Moscow. Meanwhile, a convoy of Prigozhin’s mercenary group, Wagner Mercenaries, was driving on this highway towards the capital.
Putin’s Intimate Statement
The heated debate was triggered by an article by the Russian political scientist Sergei Karaganov (70): “Only the use of nuclear weapons can save humanity from a global catastrophe.” In the article for the Russian magazine “Profile”, he argues that only the preventive use of nuclear weapons can make clear to the West how dangerous Russia really is.” “This fear must be revived. Otherwise, humanity is doomed. Only then can the conflict between Russia and the West be resolved.
How serious he means his threat – which he explains in about nine A4 pages – remains unclear. It should also be emphasized that although he is considered to be very close to Kremlin head Vladimir Putin (70) and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (73), he carries no political weight.
Mikl-Leitner “Must improve the protection of the EU’s external borders”