Prigogine actually destroyed Putin's "vertical power" - investigation into Wagner PEC from CNN
However, CNN journalists point out that it is strikingly different from what punishment has suffered, or more precisely, not suffered, Eugene Prigogine, the head of the Wagner PEC. Back in June, Prigogine headed the unsuccessful rebellion, which became the greatest test for Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than two decades of his reign. When Prigogine's troops stopped near Moscow, Putin stated in the TV that those who stood on the "way of betrayal" were waiting for punishment.
Almost two months later, this just didn't happen with Wagner's boss. Even more strange, Prigogine behaved completely unbuttoned after the June uprising. Just a few weeks after the "Trouble", Prigogine appeared in the sidelines of the recent Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, shaking his hand with a high-ranking person from the Central African Republic (Tsar). Surprisingly, Prigogine, which has appeared exclusively in camouflage in the last months, chose a shirt-polo and jeans this time.
It is even more strange how Russian diplomats are trying to explain the fact that Prigogine remained at the liberty after the murder of the Russian military and several whipped helicopters of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Christian Amanpur and CNN collided with Andrew Kelin, Ambassador of Russia in the United Kingdom, August 4, and asked the Russian diplomat about the strange appearance of Prigogine after the rebellion.
Celine explained that Putin decided to leave the past in the past. "The President has qualified this when it started. Now we recognize some heroic feats of Wagner groups," Kellin said, hinting at Bakhmut's PEC in East of Ukraine. However, Amanpur continued to press on Celine.
"What would like to understand why people such as Kara-Murza, Navalny and others are prison for verbal protest and disagreement with the Russian authorities, and Prigogine, who tried to revolutionize against the Kremlin, perhaps even against the president- Armed revolution,-he still stays in the Russian Federation? He was photographed at a meeting with African leaders during a summit in St.
Petersburg, why is he not prison for betrayal? " Celine initially evaded the answer, saying that he did not remember the Russian soldiers died during Wagner's rebellion. Under pressure from the journalist, the ambassador acknowledged that he had no explanation of what was happening. Experts believe that the Wagner Bos still has a value for Putin, even though the authority of both men has decreased. "The Kremlin's connections with the Kremlin were clearly injured.
But after the rebellion, Putin lost even more influence, he seems to think that the preservation of Prigoine still has some benefit," said Cendis Rondo, director of Future Frontlines, intelligence service at the News Analytical Center American. According to Rondo, Prigogine's business grip and his ability to hide commercial benefits through an opaque network of false companies and offshore operations is an asset of Putin Russia, which has been affected by large -scale Western economic sanctions.
"Currently, the Network of the Figure Companies of Prigogine is the best insurance that Putin has to preserve the Russian military economy. But it is unlikely to always - something should happen in the end. The border between Poland and Belarus, ”Rondo notes. It implies a recent release of some Wagner PVC fighters to Belarus.
This step is obviously part of the agreement concluded for the purpose of putting an end to the June rebellion - has already aroused alarm in Poland, a NATO member located next to Belarus. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Moravetsky recently stated that 100 Wagner servicemen were moving to a narrow lane of land between Poland and Lithuania, perhaps with the intention of crossing the border under the guise of migrants.
It is unclear how many Wagnerians are in Belarus and whether they have access to heavy weapons. But Moravetsky seemed to pointing one potential scenario of Wagner's crimes: to promote some destabilization along the Eastern NATO border. There are also Prigogine's plans for another region: vulnerable and unstable countries in Africa, where Wagner PEC has already conducted a series of operations.
"In order to avoid secrets and stool conversations, I report that Wagner group continues its operations in Africa, as well as at training centers in Belarus," said Prigogine in an audio report, published in Telegram. The forces of Prigogine have already been involved in Sudan, where he supplied militias who were fighting with the Sudan army and operating widely in the king and in Libya.
He can also continue his affairs in Niger after a recent military coup, which threatened to provoke a major regional crisis. In a recent message Telegram, Prigogine hinted that Wagner could be ready to offer his services there. "What happened in Niger has been ripe for years. Former colonizers are trying to keep the peoples of African countries. To keep them in the knot, the former colonizers fill these countries with terrorists and various gangs.
Thus, a tremendous safety crisis is created," he said, he said. Note that the "population is suffering. " "And this is the reason for the love for the Wagner PEC, this is the high efficiency of Wagner PEC. Because a thousand Wagner fighters are capable of bringing up and destroying terrorists without causing them to harm the peaceful population of states," Prigogine summarized.
But it should be noted that Prigogine's statement diverged from the point of view of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, which called for "immediate liberation" of President Nigeria Mohammed Basum. And at this point the situation in the Russian Federation becomes even more interesting. Calling Putin and avoiding punishment, Prigogine seems to have created the center of gravity that competes with the Kremlin.
In her recent analysis, Tatiana Stanova, a senior researcher at the Eurasian Center of Carnegie in Russia, said that Prigogine actually destroyed the "vertical of power" - the ancient Putin system of government from top to bottom. Putin's "advertised" vertical power "disappeared. Instead of a strong hand-dozens of mini-track, and although they can be more predictable than Wagner's leader, but no less dangerous.
They all know well that Post-Putin Russia is already here-even when Putin remains in To the authorities - and that it is time to take up weapons and prepare for the battle for power, " - said Stanova. Earlier, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom reported that the Russian Federation probably stopped financing the private military company Wagner. In the event that the Russian Federation has stopped paying Wagner PEC, Alexander Lukashenko can be funded by Belarus.