Vladimir Putin Was 'Paralyzed' and 'Unable to Act' in First Hours of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Moscow Coup: Report
Vladimir Putin was “paralyzed” and “unable to act” when Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a coup against the Russian leader last month, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In the latest development to come after Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenaries rebelled against Moscow on June 24, Ukrainian and other European officials recently reported that Putin did not issue a single order on the day of the coup.
According to the Washington Post, Putin was warned by the Russian security services “at least two or three days” before the coup that Prigozhin was “preparing a possible rebellion.”
Still, Putin failed to act.
“Putin had time to take the decision to liquidate and arrest the organizers,” one European security official told the Post on Tuesday. “Then when it began to happen, there was paralysis on all levels.”
“There was absolute dismay and confusion,” the source added. “For a long time, they did not know how to react.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials told the outlet that the local authorities between the Ukraine border and Moscow “did not receive any commands” from Putin despite the fact Prigozhin’s forces were marching north toward the Russian capital.
“The local authorities did not receive any commands from the leadership,” a senior Ukrainian security official explained. “From our point of view, this is the biggest sign of the unhealthy situation inside Russia.”
“The authoritarian system is formed in such a way that without a very clear command from the leadership, people don’t do anything,” the official added. “When the leadership is in turmoil and disarray, it is the same situation at the local level and even worse.”
The “turmoil and disarray” witnessed in Moscow on the day of the coup reportedly reflected the “deepening divide” between Putin and the Russian military over the ongoing war in Ukraine.
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“Some supported Prigozhin and the idea that the leadership needs to be cleaned up, that the fish is rotting from the head,” one Ukrainian official said.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Prigozhin’s coup ultimately came to an end after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko brokered a deal with the Wagner chief on Putin’s behalf.
Prigozhin and his Wagner Private Military Company accepted amnesty in Belarus while Putin rescinded his calls for their arrests.
Still, the embattled Russian leader reportedly launched a series of purges within his own ranks after rumors and reports suggested some Kremlin officials were aware of the coup before it took place.
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“The risk of a collapsed Russia is not insignificant,” one source warned shortly after the rebellion took place in June. “We don’t know how far Putin will go to keep power, but let’s consider it to be significant.”
“If he’s successful, we will see purges, I think, like we have never seen before,” the source added. “What could come next could be a lot worse.”
At least 11 Russian generals were reportedly purged over the course of the last month, including General Sergey Surovikin – Putin’s “General Armageddon.”
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