Summarizing the Uprising in Russia: Insights from Four Presidents and a Defiant Warlord

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The tumultuous weekend uprising, led by a renegade warlord, against Russian President Vladimir Putin was characterized by potent rhetoric, tense silences, and the world watching apprehensively at this considerable threat to Putin’s two-decade-long reign. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the mercenary leader, initiated the rebellion against Russia’s military command, threatening to advance on Moscow. However, an agreement brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ended the insurrection, with Prigozhin offered exile in Belarus. The brief yet turbulent revolt shook the Russian political landscape, compromising Putin’s seemingly absolute control and invigorating hopes among Ukrainians that internal Russian discord might be to their advantage.

The path that allowed Prigozhin and his troops to approach Moscow without significant opposition remains a mystery. But the dialogue exchanged between key players – Prigozhin, Putin, Lukashenko, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and U.S. President Joe Biden – presents a compelling account of the events.

Prigozhin had consistently castigated Russia’s military leadership for months prior to intensifying his aggression. Arguing against the reasons Russia gave for invading Ukraine, he claimed they were false. He asserted his objective was not to challenge Putin or the government but to restore justice within the armed forces and throughout Russia. His troops, including many convicts conscripted from prisons, have been some of the most effective in the ongoing 16-month war.

As Prigozhin’s forces consolidated their position in Rostov-on-Don, Putin addressed the nation, describing the uprising as a betrayal and promising severe repercussions. Putin compared the rebel’s actions to the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, which resulted in civil war and the fall of imperial Russia.

Lukashenko played a pivotal role in quelling the rebellion, negotiating a deal that guaranteed Prigozhin immunity from prosecution. Despite Prigozhin’s forces being responsible for shooting down Russian aircraft, the agreement was strikingly lenient compared to punishments meted out to other Russians for minor anti-war actions.

After the tumult of the uprising, Prigozhin became silent, and life in Moscow began to return to normal. Speculation arose about whether Prigozhin would take a larger number of Wagner fighters to Belarus and whether he would proceed there himself. Meanwhile, Biden reassured Zelenskyy of unwavering U.S. support.

Prigozhin later denied attempting to assault the Russian state and insisted he acted in response to an unjust attack on his force. Putin, making his first public comments since the uprising, claimed that Russia’s enemies had miscalculated their hopes of seeing the mutiny succeed.

A private jet, presumed to belong to Prigozhin, was spotted flying to an airbase near the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Lukashenko confirmed Prigozhin’s arrival in Belarus and said that the warlord and some of his forces could stay for a while at their own cost. The Belarusian leader, who has held power for 29 years while depending on Russian aid and backing, saw the recent events as a potential existential threat to his state, now a sort of Russian vassal.

“If Russia collapses,” he said, “we all will perish under the debris.”

Contribution by Big Big News journalist Dasha Litvinova from Tallinn, Estonia.

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More about revolt in Russia

• Russia’s rebellion: Prigozhin leads revolt challenging Putin
• Belarusian President Lukashenko brokers deal to end Russian uprising
• Implications of the rebellion on Russian power circles
• Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s perspective on the uprising
• US President Biden’s statement on the rebellion