British intelligence explains Putin's goal in providing Rosgvardia with heavy weapons

This was reported by the UK Ministry of Defense.

The report notes that on August 4, 2023, Putin signed a law allowing the Russian National Guard to be equipped with heavy weapons. He made the decision to strengthen the forces following the abortive PMC Wagner leader's mutiny in June.

This sprawling organization, with up to 200,000 frontline personnel, was created in its modern form in 2016. It is headed by Viktor Zolotov, a former bodyguard to the Russian president.

British intelligence emphasizes that despite Zolotov's claim that his force performed "excellently" during the mutiny, there is no evidence that Rosgvardia carried out any effective actions against Wagner. Although this was exactly the sort of internal security threat it was designed to repress.

"With Zolotov previously suggesting that heavy equipment should include artillery and attack helicopters, the move suggests that the Kremlin is doubling down on resourcing Rosgvardia as one of the key organizations to ensure regime security," the British Defense Ministry added.

On June 23, Russian troops allegedly launched a missile attack on the Wagner PMC base. Wagner's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said that 25,000 mercenaries were coming to deal with Sergei Shoigu. Read more on the events here.

On June 24, British intelligence said that the outcome of Prigozhin's rebellion against the Russian military leadership would depend on whether Russian security forces, especially Rosgvardia, remained loyal to the Kremlin.