After more than 24 hours of insurrection, an uprising by Wagner mercenaries against the leadership in Moscow ended abruptly. Internationally, many governments have kept a low profile when assessing Russia’s developments.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has escaped Wagner’s mercenary insurgency — for now. According to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, he raises many questions about Putin’s authority. “I think you’re seeing cracks appear that weren’t there before,” Blinken said on US television. “There’s someone inside who directly challenges Putin’s authority, who directly challenges the premise that he launched this aggression against Ukraine, and that’s very powerful.”
Asked who in the U.S. government was in contact with Russian leadership, Blinken said his team had exchanges with Russian officials over the weekend. However, Blinken repeatedly insisted that the rebellion was an “internal matter” for Russia.
Blink: “The Latest Chapter in the Book of Failure”
Blinken did not comment publicly on reports that the US government had already been informed by its secret services about the plans of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. “These tensions have been building for months, and I think it’s no secret to many that something is brewing,” he said. It is “the coming storm”. “This is the latest chapter in the book of failures that Putin has written for himself and for Russia,” the minister said.
The rebellion could give Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, an advantage because Putin now has to worry about what’s happening at home, Blinken said.
US President Joe Biden’s government, like other governments in the West, has previously held back public assessments of developments in Russia. Most explanations say the situation is being monitored.
Central government Reluctance to make statements
Politics did not go to the outside world, even in Berlin. Over the weekend, Foreign Minister Annalena Berbach held talks with her counterparts from the G7, the other Western industrialized nations. The crisis team also met.
President Olaf Scholes called the leaders of key allies, the United States, France and Great Britain. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said it was too early to assess what had happened.
The central government’s reluctance is right, said FDP security expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. “This is an internal Russian issue.” In this regard, according to the head of the broadcaster’s security committee, it is wise that the European countries also did not comment on this. Phoenix.
Strack-Zimmerman also sees signs of Putin’s weakening in the rebellion led by Prigozhin. “This may be the first “crack in a system” based on oppressing the people. CDU foreign politician Norbert Rotgen made a similar statement. In the “Rheinische Post” he was convinced that the day and a half of the uprising dealt a severe blow to Putin’s power.
EU foreign ministers meet on Monday
Foreign ministers of EU countries are expected to meet in Luxembourg on Monday to exchange views on the possible consequences of the power struggle in Russia and the war in Ukraine. There will also be Baerbock. He did not want to attend the regular EU meeting due to a trip to South Africa, but was rescheduled for the weekend in light of recent developments in Russia.
For the EU, one of the questions that arises is what effect the power struggle between Prigogine and Putin might have on conflicts and wars in other countries. In recent years, the Wagner Group has been active not only in Ukraine, but also in countries such as Mali and Libya.
China: “Supporting Russia’s National Stability”
So far, there has been no official reaction from China on what happened yesterday in close ally Russia. However, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang is known to have met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko in Beijing. China’s state media later issued a brief statement: Qin and Rudenko spoke about bilateral relations and other “regional and international matters.” Nothing more is known.
China has also pledged to support Russia in its efforts to maintain national stability. China’s Foreign Ministry said the attempted uprising by the Wagner mercenaries was a Russian internal matter.
It is clearly in the interest of the leadership in Beijing that Prigozhin halted his advance on Moscow. There are no worries about political instability in Russia. Putin is a key ally of the Communist leadership in Beijing – largely because of Putin’s anti-American and anti-democratic policies.
Unity Statements From Latin America
As expected, Russia’s Latin American allies sided with the Kremlin. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on Twitter Saturday evening that he expressed the solidarity of the Cuban government and people with Putin and the Russian “brotherly people.” “We firmly believe that unity and constitutional order will prevail.” By then, Prigozhin had already given the order to retreat after advancing towards Moscow.
“We send our solidarity and support to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, who overcame an attempt at treason and civil war and guaranteed victory and peace to his people,” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro tweeted.
An official statement from Central American Nicaragua said President Daniel Ortega and his wife, along with Vice President Rosario Murillo, expressed “our affection in revolutionary brotherhood” to Putin.
With information from Dietrich Karl Mäurer, ARD Capital Studio and Steffen Rudd, SWR
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