Hello, my friends!
I wanted to send you the latest news about the Russian coup happening.
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Russia coup update:
Absolutely stunning and massive news broke last night in Russia and I spent much of the night getting my arms around it.
Long-time readers of The View from the Front will be very familiar with the name Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who’s the head of the private military company called Wagner. We’ve been talking about him and his company for months as Wagner mercenaries (and recently-released prisoners) hurled themselves into the fighting in Bakhmut.
Wagner has easily been the premier fighting force inside Ukraine and the hot-headed, loudmouth Prigozhin has been a name that’s grown larger and larger as the fighting intensified.
If you’re just catching up on Prigozhin, here’s what you need to know. The AP had a nice article on him:
Prigozhin was convicted of robbery and assault in 1981, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Following his release, he opened a restaurant business in St. Petersburg in the 1990s. It was in this capacity that he got to know now-President Vladimir Putin, then the city’s deputy mayor.
Prigozhin used that connection to develop a catering business and won lucrative Russian government contracts that earned him the nickname “Putin’s chef.” He later expanded into other areas, including media and an infamous internet “troll factory” that led to his indictment in the U.S. for meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
In January, Prigozhin acknowledged founding, leading and financing the shadowy Wagner company.
Wagner fighters have operated in as many as 30 countries, including Syria, Libya, and Ukraine.
Perhaps as many as 50,000 deployed to Ukraine, the majority of them recruited from inside Russian prisons.
Prigozhin has spent a LOT of time on the front lines and videoing himself planning, complaining, and leading. He’s made himself a “legend” inside Russia, mostly by criticizing other Russian generals and leaders.
He was a close ally of Putin, but he’s been increasingly nudging up to criticizing Putin himself.
Initial complaints were about ammo shortages and the direction of the war, but as time passed, he began talking about “Grandfather” — essentially talking about Putin but in a deniable way.
Analysts predicted that eventually Putin would take out Prigozhin (no powerful dictator can have someone criticizing him). But Prigozhin was so successful inside Ukraine that Putin delayed making his arrest (or outright killing him).
That delay proved too long…
Yesterday, Russia issued an arrest warrant.
Prigozhin had other plans. Wagner forces advanced into the Southern Military District headquarters inside Russia. (Videos below.)
This was mostly unguarded and Wagner seized it without a shot.
Putin has attempted to deploy forces to hit Wagner, but there’s been no contact between these forces yet. (Video below.)
Instead, Wagner is already pushing north toward Moscow.
They are four hours away.
And Moscow is preparing with limited forces to stop them.
And there are strong rumors that Putin has already fled. (He’s avoided TV or being seen since this crisis emerged.)
I will try to update you again soon once things become clearer. Probably later today.
Love and peace,
Stan R. Mitchell
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It sounds surreal.