Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to buy time while he considers how to deal with Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the BBC writes.
Prigozhin started a mercenary revolt at the end of June and wanted to go to the Kremlin. After short unrest, the Wagnerites stopped halfway, about 200 kilometers from Moscow. William Burns, the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), said that the coup showed significant flaws in Putin’s system. During the Aspen Security Forum, Burns said Putin still craves revenge.
Regarding Prigozhin’s whereabouts, Burns replied that the leader of the Wagnerites moved around a lot, and since the uprising had been staying more near Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
Meanwhile, Putin is likely buying time to consider the best revenge.
And Putin is ready to wait for the right time for revenge. “Putin is someone who generally thinks that revenge is a dish best-served cold. In my experience, Putin is the ultimate apostle of payback so I would be surprised if Prigozhin escapes further retribution,” said Burns.
At the beginning of July, US President Joe Biden said that the owner of the Wagner Group could be poisoned.
Burns also referred to this, saying he would fire a “food taster” in Prigozhin’s place.
The head of the CIA confirmed that the spies already knew about the planned coup, and added that the freedom of movement of Sergei “General Armageddon” Surovikin is also currently restricted.
The Wagnerian revolt was the most direct threat Putin has seen in his 23-year rule, and directly questioned the Kremlin’s motivation for waging war in Ukraine.
Putin has carefully crafted his image, and the 36-hour riot has left many in the country wondering “if the king is naked, or at least wondering why he takes so long to dress.” Also,
what happened could have caused the Russian elite to delve into the issue of Putin’s judgment –
this issue has been present since February 2022, when the Kremlin began military operations in Ukraine.
Burns said the difficulty of Ukraine’s counterattack should come as no surprise, given that attacking is more difficult than defending and the Russians had months to prepare. He said the counter-offensive would take time and it would not be easy to move forward.
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