Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered an icy address on Saturday as friend-turned-rebel Wagner military company formed a mutiny against the government, and decided to march till Moscow.
Despite having the upper hand in the Ukraine war, troubles mounted for Russia and its President Vladimir Putin as Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner private militia company, launched a mutiny against his former ally Putin, posing a threat to his government.
While Putin is the person who had promoted the growth of the Wagner group and profited from its actions for a long time, his close ally Yevgeny Prigozhin ended up turning against him, vowing to destroy the Russian defence ministry.
Prigozhin had announced on Saturday night that his men were just 200 km away from Moscow, seemingly prepared to launch an attack against the Russian defence forces, but decided to retreat at the last moment to avoid any bloodshed.
Why is Wagner group rebelling against Russian government?
The Wagner military group, led by Vladimir Putin’s former ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, had been in existence for around a decade now, while its existence was denied as it launched operations across several countries like Africa, Syria and parts of Ukraine.
However, Yevgeny Prigozhin turned “Frankenstein’s monster” for Putin after it announced to punish the Russian government and defence forces, claiming that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had launched an attack against his mercenaries with a missile, which killed a massive number of his fighters.
This was the ultimate turning point for the Wagner group chief, who decided to have his revenge against the Russian army and Vladimir Putin.
What does the mutiny mean for Vladimir Putin?
While Wagner group’s fighters decided to retreat, this mutiny can mean many different things for Russian President Vladimir Putin. This show of strength against Putin can severely hurt his image in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which has been running on propaganda.
This is also set to take a major hit on the morale of the Russian army and can rouse a sentiment of sympathy for the Wagner group from inside Putin’s army. This move can also inspire more rebels in Russia, threatening Putin’s position as the head of state.
READ | DNA Explainer: Wagner Group armed rebellion in Russia, who are they and why have they rebelled?
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 "‘Frankenstein’s monster’: What made Wagner group rebel against Russia? What does mutiny mean for Putin?")
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