Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation commentary: Decoding Prigozhin’s rebellion

2023-06-26 | Geopolitical analysis, Expert publications

By Petro Burkovskyi.

The Wagner Group’s armed rebellion has displayed little evidence of being a successful challenge to Putin’s regime, but it has created a strong argument in support of Ukraine’s accelerated accession to NATO.

The military drama that unfolded in Russia from June 23 to 24, orchestrated by Wagner Group head and “Putin’s chef” Yevgeny Prigozhin, marked the beginning of a new era for Putin’s Russia.

The ironclad force of the Wagner Group, celebrated by Russian propaganda and decorated by the Kremlin with the highest orders for its participation in Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, overnight turned into a rogue force that overtly challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personal power.

Truly shocking photos and videos from Rostov-on-Don, one of Russia’s biggest cities with over a million inhabitants, showed Wagner mercenaries taking over the Russian Southern Military District’s headquarters, a central hub for Russia’s war against Ukraine.

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