Demonstration of major strategic mistake: Stoltenberg on Wagner's coup in Russia

Reuters reported the information.

On Monday, June 26, during a visit to Vilnius, the NATO Secretary General said that the unsuccessful military coup attempt by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the financier of the Wagner Group, in Russia highlights a strategic error made by the Kremlin in initiating a war against Ukraine.

"The events over the weekend are an internal Russian matter, and yet another demonstration of the big strategic mistake that President (Vladimir) Putin made with his illegal annexation of Crimea and the war against Ukraine," Stoltenberg emphasized.

If Russian aggression continues, it is even more important to continue to support Ukraine.

Prigozhin's coup in Russia

For several months, there has been a conflict between Yevgeny Prigozhin, the financier of Wagner PMC, and the Russian Ministry of Defense. However, the situation escalated quickly on the evening of June 23.

Allegedly, Russian troops launched a missile attack on the Wagner base. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner PMC, announced a "march of justice" and stated that 25,000 mercenaries were heading to Moscow after the Russian leadership refused to hand over Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

On Saturday, June 24, in addition to Rostov-on-Don, where they initially gathered around the headquarters of the Southern Military District, the Wagner group also took control of Voronezh. Their convoys, which had diverted from the Ukrainian border, were moving towards Moscow. Military aircraft and artillery under Shoigu's control attempted to stop them. The units of Wagner PMC were last spotted in the Lipetsk region. In Moscow itself, defensive positions were established, trenches were dug, and all security forces were mobilized.

However, on the evening of June 24, the press service of the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, released a statement in which the head of the Wagner PMC stated that he was ready to stop the advance of his mercenaries' military convoys, which were already approaching Moscow, and to reach an agreement with the Kremlin. Prigozhin allegedly agreed on this during a conversation with Lukashenko.

Instead, Prigozhin announced that the Wagner group had stopped their advance and returned to their field camps before reaching 200 km from Moscow. He stated, "In a day, we traveled without reaching 200 km to Moscow. During this time, no blood was shed. However, the moment may come when blood will be spilled. Therefore, taking full responsibility, we are turning our columns around and heading back to the field camps as planned."

Subsequently, Prigozhin and all his fighters left the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District. Russian leader Vladimir Putin promised that Prigozhin would be able to go to Belarus, and Russia would close the criminal case against him.

According to CNN, US intelligence knew about the plans of the Wagner leader to go against the leadership of the Russian regular army, but did not think that the escalation would happen so quickly.

Analysts examining the data on visits to Google News by Russian internet service providers between June 23 and 24, during the coup, have arrived at the conclusion that a minimum of 5 telecommunications companies, including Rostelecom, U-LAN, and Telplus, blocked the Google News service, which collects news from various sources.

The deal reached through Lukashenko's mediation is likely to eliminate the Prigozhin-led Wagner PMC in its current form, although some elements of the organization may continue to exist under the Russian Defense Ministry, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

China expressed support for Russia in ensuring the stability and development of the country, commenting on Wagner PMC starting a coup against the Kremlin.