Sun 25 June 2023:
Russia’s crisis involving an attempted mercenary revolt against the Kremlin exposed “real cracks” in Putin’s authority after he was forced into an amnesty deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.
The uprising by the Wagner private mercenary group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin over the weekend marked “a direct challenge to Putin’s authority. So this raises profound questions, it shows real cracks,” Blinken told CBS News talk show “Face the Nation.”
Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova reporting from Moscow says while Russians continue supporting Putin as “he controlled the situation… many admit the mutiny has dealt a blow to President Putin’s reputation.
“Others say that Prigozhin is obviously a player in Vladimir Putin’s political system and all he has – the funds, human resources, all the weapons – all that comes from the state and he totally depends on Vladimir Putin, despite his rivalry with the ministry of defence.”
Ukraine: Chaos in Russia works to our advantage
Chaos in Russia works to Kyiv’s advantage, Ukraine’s foreign minister says, after Yevgeny Prigozhin, a founder of the Wagner army, said he was halting his “march for justice” on Moscow after a deal with Kremlin.
“Any chaos behind the enemy lines works in our interests,” the state-run Ukrinform news agency quoted Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba as saying.
Kuleba held a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the events and Kyiv’s counteroffensive efforts on Saturday.
Putin, Lukashenko hold another call after thwarted mutiny
Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Lukashenko spoke by phone on Sunday morning, Belarus’ Belta news agency has reported.
The two men spoke at least twice on Saturday.
Prigozhin unlikely to stay in Belarus for long: Analyst
Franak Viacorka, chief political advisor to Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has told Al Jazeera that Prigozhin is unlikely to stay in Belarus for long.
“I think this was the solution which pleased both Putin and Prigozhin. On one hand, Putin did not want to kill Prigozhin because he’s important; he’s needed for the fight in Ukraine and on the other hand Putin also didn’t want to let him go and stay and do what he does,” Viacorka said.
“The problem is Prigozhin won’t stay in Belarus for a long time. This is not his dream destination where he wants to build his retirement and business, so i think it’s only a temporary solution and the saga with history will continue.”
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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