Glued to their mobile phones, millions of Ukrainians spent a sleepless night on Friday, after the head of the Wagner mercenary group declared war on his rivals in the Russian military, sparking unprecedented political turmoil in Moscow.
“Events are unfolding according to the scenario we talked about all last year,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. “The start of the Ukrainian counter-offensive finally destabilized the Russian elites, intensifying the internal split that arose after the defeat in Ukraine. Today we are truly witnessing the beginning of a civil war.”
Early on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner’s boss, of “treason” after the warlord launched an uprising against the Russian military.
Wagner boss claims to have taken control of Russian army headquarters in Rostov – video report
In audio clips released late Friday, Prigozhin claimed that a Russian rocket attack had killed dozens of his fighters, vowing to “take revenge” and “stop the evil caused by the country’s military leadership.”
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has longed for internal instability in Russia as a result of the conflict. On Saturday morning, when news of Wagner’s uprising circulated, many Ukrainians struggled to believe it was real, until images shared online appeared to show Wagner’s troops with tanks and armored vehicles surrounding government buildings in the Russian city of Rostov, where Prigozhin claimed to have taken. on a military base.
“Prigozhin’s group captures military facilities, headquarters and entire cities, meeting almost no resistance on their way, disarming soldiers and police at random,” Podolyak said. “Putin declares Prigozhin a traitor and an outlaw and announces the appropriate orders to the special services, but nothing happens: a management crisis, a de facto loss of power. At the same time, Wagner continues his march to Moscow. Ukraine continues to advance on its own path. Until the borders of 1991”.
In comments to Ukraine’s state news agency Suspilne, Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov said Wagner’s actions in Russia were a “continuation of intra-Russian conflicts” that are consequence of the military aggression against Ukraine.
“This is a sign of the collapse of the ruling regime, and these processes will intensify,” he added.
Although Putin is forced to watch his back, many believe the Russian agitation will give Ukraine an opportunity to step up its counteroffensive, which Zelenskiy has admitted is going “slower than desired” and boost the morale of his troops facing uncertain battles at the front.
“As the war began, so it will end, within Russia,” tweeted Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. “The process has begun.”
Zelenskiy said: “Anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. He sends columns of soldiers to destroy the lives of another country, and he cannot prevent them from fleeing and betraying when life resists… [Putin] he despises the people and throws hundreds of thousands into the war, to end up barricaded in the Moscow region by those he himself armed.
“For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it.”
He added: “Russia’s weakness is obvious. Weakness on a grand scale. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and trouble it will have for itself down the road.”
