Biden says Putin ‘absolutely’ weakened by Russian mercenary revolt
Mike Brest
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President Joe Biden declared that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been weakened by a short-lived attempted revolt by a mercenary group.
The Biden administration has been hesitant to comment publicly on the 36-hour mutiny led by Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has since fled to Belarus after abruptly ending his plot after his troops captured the city of Rostov, near the Russian-Ukrainian border.
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“He’s losing the war at home. He’s become a bit of a pariah around the world. And it’s not just NATO, it’s not just the European Union, it’s Japan,” Biden told reporters on the White House South Lawn, adding that he’s “absolutely” been weakened by the event, though he noted, “It’s hard to tell really. He’s clearly losing the war in Iraq [sic].”
Prigozhin had been conspiring to apprehend top Russian military leaders, mainly Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, and was forced to accelerate his timeline after Russian intelligence officials uncovered the plot, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing Western officials.
A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on the new revelations of the Wagner founder’s intentions.
“This is an internal matter for Russia, as the president has said. Our continued focus remains on supporting Ukraine,” White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters. “That’s where our focus is right now, and will continue to be for the time being.”
Other U.S. officials have argued the situation demonstrated “cracks” forming within Putin’s circles.
Wagner forces were met with little resistance in the beginning of its march toward Moscow, raising questions about the Russian military given they were tipped off ahead of time of Prigozhin’s intentions to capture Shoigu and Gerasimov during their visit to a southern region that borders Ukraine.
Gen. Viktor Zolotov, commander of the National Guard of Russia, also told state media on Tuesday, “Specific leaks about preparations for a rebellion that would begin between June 22-25 were leaked from Prigozhin’s camp.”
Prigozhin’s attempted mutiny against top military officials is the culmination of a months-long battle against them, though it had remained verbal until now. He accused Shoigu and Gerasimov of treason and of withholding military resources from his forces even as they were battling on the front lines of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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Putin opted to allow the Wagner boss to lead his troops in the battle for Bakhmut, which was the deadliest battle of the war, due to the Russian military’s limited success during the first couple months of the war. U.S. officials have said the fighting in Bakhmut resulted in a total of approximately 100,000 Russian casualties from both armies.
The Kremlin wants the Wagner forces to be folded into the Russian military, which was one criticism Prigozhin mentioned during the short-lived mutiny.