The shock rebellion by Wagner mercenaries is “a game-changer for Putin” and his days are now numbered, the chairman of the Commons Defence Committee has said.
The Wagner mercenary group’s shock rebellion has challenged Vladimir Putin’s rule over Russia, experts have said.
Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, said the president’s authority had suffered a lethal blow despite his deal to quell the unexpected uprising.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin halted his troops’ armed mutiny, that saw them heading for Moscow on Saturday, as the Kremlin agreed to a swift resolution.
But analysts have warned the episode had shattered Putin’s carefully cultivated image as the country’s indomitable leader.
Mr Ellwood, a former soldier, told the Daily Express: “We’ve moved into a very volatile period for Russia. The immediate may have been diffused but this is a dangerous game-changer for Putin and his days are now, in my view, numbered.
“The Wagner group may have been muted and its leader exiled but Putin is significantly weakened and his enemies are now circling, realising that his whole pretence of power is diminishing.
“When a Russian leader has to contain a coup by offering the coup leader a place in exile rather than defeating him directly then you know power is draining from the Kremlin.”
Mr Ellwood said history had shown that even if leaders survive the “initial wound”, such a destabilising event could lead to a complete regime collapse.
He added: “The cat’s out of the bag just how disastrous the war in Ukraine has been. The big change is that the Russian people now realise how futile Putin’s adventurism is.
“But not only that, they also see that he is significantly weakened after only being able to strike a deal with Russian forces essentially that were marching on Moscow.”
Mr Ellwood said Ukrainian fighters should “take advantage” of the chaos, which is likely to further lower the morale of Russian soldiers.
He added: “That’s how war operates, there are occasions that need to be seized. The luck that Ukraine should now have needs to be grasped and utilised to its best ability.”
Source : https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1784399/wagner-group-coup-russia-putin