Russian Civil War Averted - Did Kremlin Threaten to Kill Families of Wagner Group Leaders?
The Kremlin descended into chaos over the weekend as Russia came to the brink of civil war, and the uprising has left President Vladimir Putin exposed.
The Russian government is trying to project the image that everything is under control. Others say the crisis shows Putin's war and his regime could be unraveling.
In video released by the Russian government, Defense Minister Shoigu is said to be inspecting troops in Ukraine. He was one of the men Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary army was coming after, for alleged corruption and incompetence in running the war in Ukraine.
Even though the uprising exposed Vladimir Putin's weakness, he still found a way to prevent it from reaching the Kremlin. How did he do it?
One UK newspaper cites British intelligence that Kremlin threats against the families of Wagner group leaders forced them to abandon the march.
Still, the 36 hours of turmoil left Putin looking humiliated and vulnerable.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "We've seen some very serious cracks emerge. Sixteen months ago Putin was on the doorstep of Kyiv in Ukraine, looking to take the city in a matter of days, erase the country from the map. Now he's had to defend Moscow."
On Friday, Prigozhin, a long-time Putin ally whose Wagner private army has been fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine, announced a 'march for justice' – effectively an uprising against Russian military leaders.
Wagner troops seized control of two Russian military hubs in the south Friday, and Russian media reported the downing of several helicopters, and a military plane.
In Rostov-on-don, Russians were seen cheering and applauding as Prigozhin and his convoy headed to Moscow, but they never made it, turning back just 120 miles from the capital, amid reports of a deal with Putin calling for Prigozhin to leave Russia for nearby Belarus. Russia now says it's dropping its charges of mutiny against Prigozhin.
But the damage against Putin's image as a leader who cannot be challenged, is by most accounts, immense.
Exiled former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky says it's clearly demonstrated to everyone that the regime is weak and is "practically on the floor."
Perhaps just as importantly, Prigozhin lifted the veil on Russian state propaganda on the war in Ukraine, telling the Russian people they have been lied to.
U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-OH) told CBS' Face the Nation, "Prigozhin said that, 'Your government has lied to you. This is not a war that NATO started. There are no Nazis in Ukraine.' Taking down the very premise makes it much more difficult for Putin to continue to turn to the Russian people and say, we should continue to send people to die, uh, in this war."
Russian-British commentator Vlad Vexler says the crisis now allows Russians for the first time to consider a future without Vladimir Putin.
Vexler said, "Now it's a little more possible for Russians to then say, 'What if we don't go down to the bottom of the inferno with Mr. Putin? What if there is an alternative?"
The White House says it will continue to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking for more weapons and shared concerns that Russia may be planning to blow up the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
