2021 - Russia had the second best army in the world 2022 - Russia had the second best army in Ukraine 2023 - Russia has the second best army in Russia.
Surely this can’t end with Prigozhin sitting on the throne as leader of Russia? He is a dead man walking either way, with his army being whittled down on the front line and Putin ready to gobble up Wagner’s assets in Africa once they’re all dead. Is this just a mad man going down with the ship?
It does look like that and that he miscalculated. But I guess Prigo is pretty screwed either way. if he complied and Wagner signed contracts with the military he would have lost his protection and been vulnerable to all the enemies he's made. At least this way he goes down fighting and maybe he has an outside chance that other Russian forces will come over to him or at least stand aside. I can't see him ending up power, i certainly hope not, but then there is lots that ive been wrong about in this war which has been full of surprises. I guess the more protracted this situation the better for the free-ish world.
Something that's concerning me is my mates from Gudija have gone silent. Around the same time Wagner 'kicked off' Lukashenko was boarding a private jet and flew into Russia (turning off his plane's transponders) before appearing crossing into Turkey... https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/06/24/7408310/ The Children of ARRSE have a very (un)healthy interest in some of the Ukrainian fighters - as expected that "fit birds in uniform" and a Belarusian fighter who they've christened "Warstache". This has just popped up:
This is definitely a moment of peril for Ukraine too and they really have to restrain themselves. If nothing else they could get really fat eating all that popcorn while keeping up to date with developments: https://twitter.com/tweetforanna/status/1672581839569944576?s=61&t=n0dBF7HSu_RxVm41qwi4kQ
Lots of business jets have left Moscow today. The elite getting out while they can. **** knows where this is going but we have seen the USSR collapse and numerous coup attempts in the past and everything has been quite chill for the rest of the world. Fingers crossed.
I’m just waiting for Clive’s post requesting that Russia lays down its arms and gives land to Wagner for peace.
I hope Putin is able to stamp out this rebellion. For two reasons. 1. These Wagner people seem a right bunch of basstads. Got to be worse than Putin, surely? 2. Cuba just signed a load of trade deals including a big oil supply contract with Russia. Don't want that endangered.
To be honest Mike, I haven't really been following this Ukraine business all that closely. However from what I've read, wagner don't want land - they want to lynch the military bosses for firing rockets at them. No doubt if they do take control though, they'll want what they all bloody want - money and power.
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1672577452357427200 I can't keep up: https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1672577452357427200
I just read up some more and found out that this wagner mob are actually the Catering Corps and their leader is or was Putin's chef. Imagine if Gordon Ramsey led a successful coup here. Jesus. We'd have the bearskin replaced by chef's hats and a new national anthem where we all wave wooden spoons and then shout "YES CHEF!!" at the end.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you may imagine I take the opposite view: 1. Wagner group is just one of over 75 private armies that operate in Russia, Putin has not hesitated to use them to promote his interests in Europe, Africa and Syria - paying them handsomely for their involvement - so he deserves all he gets, given the war crimes he has perpetrated in Ukraine. 2. Cuba has supported the corrupt Russian regime by trading with it and I hope they suffer the most severe consequences for their actions. I do feel compassion for the `ordinary people` who are manipulated by such despots.
1. Yeah but they're extreme right-wing nazi types aren't they? You think they're better than Putin? As I said, I don't know too much about it to be honest. I'd be interested to know why you think this chef fella would be better. 2. Mighty though Cuba is, it would be something of an exaggeration to say Cuba has been supporting Russia. More like Russia has been supporting Cuba by trading with it. Remember Cuba is economically blockaded by the USA every single way. The USA pressures its colonies and allies not to trade with Cuba also. According to them Cuba is a country which "sponsors terrorism". Now realistically, if you're the Cuban government and you're offered the lifeline of regular tourist flights from Russia, millions of tonnes of desperately needed oil for the power stations (power cuts are still a huge problem on the island) and lots of lovely trade back and forth, are you realistically going to say no?
Breaking News. After an intervention by Belarus President, Mr Potatohead Lukashenko, it’s all off. Everyone has made friends and the Wagner advance to Moscow has been paused. We can have every confidence that this is a state of peace that will last and Prigozhin will enjoy a long and happy life.
Sounds like it's over. Prigozhin says he's proved his point and the Wagner boys are returning to their field camps. Obviously could be a deception or tactical feint of some sort. Or a deep fake or whatever. But lots of reputable Twitter accounts are reporting it.
As Shakespeare might have said, yesterday’s events can possibly be best summed up by ‘much a-coup about nothing’
What a totally bizarre series of events unfolded yesterday. Putins position is so weakened now, I would be shocked if he was still in power by the end of the year.
True - Putin's strong, hard man gangster ("thief in law") facade has been destroyed in under 24 hours by a real life gangster. In Russian 'mythology' the vory are much admired because of their strict adherence to a code - even during Soviet times. I'm concerned that Wagner is being moved to Belarus.
Overall I think it was a good outcome. Civil war in Russia or a regime change to a Prigozhin is not what the world need right now. Hopefully Putin is fatally wounded from this and it is the beginning of his downfall, with an orderly transfer of power to a more moderate regime the ultimate outcome.
