Artem Budrin11:24, 06/25/23

The expert emphasized that Prigozhin has never been an independent player in Russian politics.

Military expert Dmitry Snegirev is convinced that the recent events in Russia are a well-planned action by the Russian special services.

“Unfortunately, no destructiveness has happened in Russia. Everything that has happened in Russia in recent days is an action controlled by the Russian special services. Prigozhin carried out several missions assigned to him. Most importantly, he transferred the Wagner PMC under the full control of the Russian Ministry of Defense, making one of the most combat-ready units of the occupying forces is part of the regular army. That is, the PMC has lost its independence in decision-making at the time of planning operations,” Snegirev explained for Espresso.

The expert emphasized that Prigozhin has never been an independent player in Russian politics.

“Prigozhin is a product of the Russian special services. He is a person who is part of Putin’s inner circle. Kiriyenko and other officials stand behind him. Therefore, it was not and is not necessary to talk about some kind of independence for Prigozhin,” he added.

Prigozhin’s rebellion: key events

On June 23, the leader of the “Wagnerites” Yevgeny Prigozhin said that the Russian army  had attacked the positions of PMCs . Because of this, he announced a campaign against Moscow in order to “stop” Russian Defense Minister Shoigu.

A few hours later, the columns of PMC “Wagner” were seen in the Rostov region. There, as in Moscow, as well as the Voronezh region,  the Fortress plan was announced .

During the day, June 24, Prigozhin’s mercenaries advanced in the direction of Moscow and even entered the Moscow region. However, 200 kilometers from the Russian capital, Prigozhin  decided to deploy the column . This was the result of his negotiations with the self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, which were agreed upon by Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

(C)UNIAN 2023