According to the New York Times, the prominent Russian general Sergei Soerovikin had the necessary foreknowledge of the uprising. Not the least person in the Russian military, he was one of the first army leaders to lead operations in Ukraine. That this man knew about the plans can only mean that others were, too, Hammelburg thinks. “He could never be the only one.”
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It is therefore important to know who these people were and to what extent Soerovikin, and perhaps also other members of the army command, were willing to participate in Wagner’s uprising. “The fact that Prigozhin tried and turned away halfway might have something to do with the fact that he was counting on the cooperation of a number of deserters from the superior army. But when it turned out that they didn’t, Prigozhin understood that he couldn’t be defeated.’
How does Putin react?
It is therefore also interesting how, and if, Russian President Putin will respond to this story. For the time being, it appears that Putin has no intention of cleaning up the command of the Russian military anyway. And that’s surprising too, thinks Hammelburg. “Although they did not cooperate with Prigozhin, they did not inform their superiors, in this case Putin, of what was about to happen.”
“He Could Never Have Been the Only One”
In this regard, the newspaper’s revelation seems to indicate that Putin was “probably the only one who knew nothing of the plans,” says Hammelburg, who also expects the mutiny’s fallout to be limited. “The most important figure in this story, Defense Minister Shoigu, was spared and can stay. The Kremlin is demonstrating its papal support for this man.”
Kramatorsk
According to Hammelburg, even the attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorks “dramatically” shows that Russia is far from defeated. At least ten people were killed in the rocket attack and dozens were injured. “It is a very serious attack in this war. A huge bombardment,’ says Hammelburg. The number of victims is expected to rise.
The attack indicates that the anti-aircraft guns did not work or did not work well enough. “This reinforces Ukrainian President Zelensky’s oft-heard call for more weapons and additional equipment,” Hammelburg says.