Russia and Treachery by Prigozhin: Putin, FSB, Kadyrov, and Wagner
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation is seeking to solve the crisis concerning the actions of Yevgeny Prigozhin (Wagner PMC founder).
Putin said: “We will defend both our people and our statehood from any threats, including internal treachery. What we have been confronted with can be precisely called treachery. The unbounded ambitions and personal interests have led to a treason and a betrayal of the country and its people.”
Putin – pointing at the actions of Prigozhin – continued, “The heroes who liberated Soledar and Artyomovsk, towns and settlements in Donbass, who fought and lost their lives for Novorossiya, for the unity of the Russian world – their name and glory have also been betrayed by those who are trying to stage a mutiny and pushing the country towards anarchy and fratricide, defeat and finally surrender.”
General Sergei Surovikin correctly said: “The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to worsen in our country.”
Accordingly, Surovikin told the military forces of Wagner to obey President Putin and accept the commands of the Russian Federation. Hence, he appealed to military forces of Wagner to return to bases and to desist from helping Prigozhin.
The Public Relations Center of the Federal Security Service (FSB) – on threatening comments by Prigozhin – said: “…the FSB has opened a criminal case into the fact of a call for an armed rebellion on the part of Yevgeny Prigozhin.”
Prigozhin is angry by the actions of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia’s top military general, Valery Gerasimov. Hence, Prigozhin believes that Gerasimov and Shoigu have failed the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
Prigozhin said: “This is not a military coup, this is a march of justice. Our actions do not hinder the armed forces in any way.”
Prigozhin – countering Putin – said: “The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it… We don’t want the country to continue to live in corruption and deceit.”
Dmitry Medvedev, the Security Council Deputy Chairman, said: “Rallying around our president and the supreme commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces is crucial for defeating the external and internal enemy, which seeks to tear our Homeland apart, and for saving our state. National split and betrayal would lead to the greatest tragedy ever and a universal catastrophe.”
Medvedev continued, “We will not let it happen. The enemy will be crushed. Victory will be ours.”
Ramzan Kadyrov – the leader of Chechnya – said: “What is happening is not an ultimatum to the Ministry of Defense… It is a challenge to the state. To counter this challenge, it is necessary for the military, security forces, governors, and the civilian population to rally all around the national leader. Soldiers of the Ministry of Defense and Chechnya’s units of the National Guard (Rosgvardiya) have already left for the areas of tension. We will do everything to preserve the unity of Russia and to protect its statehood!”
Kadyrov continued: “Each of us sees only one part of the map, but he (Putin) sees it all! The president noted quite correctly in his address to the nation – this is a military mutiny! There is no excuse for such actions! I fully support Putin’s every word.”
The next few days are pivotal to how the crisis will develop – or subside.
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