U.S, and Ukrainian officials hope to capitalize on the mental breakdown of 64-year-old Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin who engaged in short-lived mutiny against 70-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin’s breakdown has him under house arrest in Minsk, Belacrus, now under custody of 68-year-old Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. Western officials, led 80-yearold President Joe Biden, 60-year-old Secretary of State Antony Blinken and 45-year-old National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan all praised Prigozhin’s attempted coup d’etat, not admitting the Wagner chief’s obvious breakdown. No one in the Kremlin knew how unstable Prigozhin, who was a mercenary contractor of Putin to help in the battle of Bakhmut, where the Wagner Group spent months battling Ukraine’s army, until a whistleblower spilled the beans on Ukraine’s wasted adventure..
When Massachusetts Air National Guard Private First Class Jack Teixeira revealed that Ukraine squandered much of their munitions and personnel in Bakhmut, it exposed the colossal waste trying to hold on to the bombed out city, Ukraine’s 45-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky wouldn’t admit failures of his counteroffensive, sacrificing Ukrainian troops and U.S. munitions battling the Wagner Group in Bakhut. Eventually, Zelensky was forced to abandon Baknut but not before wasting much of Ukraine’s U.S. weapons. Wagner’s group helped Putin take Bakhmut but not before Prigozhin’s breakdown. Once the Russia air force accidentally bombed Prigozhin’s troops, the 64-year-old former criminal went ballistic, saying he would march on Moscow,. Prigozhin’s plan crumbled quickly, leaving him in Lukashenko’s custody, no longer relevant.
Washington and Kiev have done everything to spin Prigozhin’s breakdown as a wider rebellion against Putin, something so preposterous, not supported by facts, only Kiev’s wish fulfillment that it was the beginning of the end for Putin. Prigozhin’s fall has nothing to do with Putin’s grip on power, continuing the Ukrainian War unabated. Zelensky is busy explaining to Western officials why his counteroffensive seems stalled out, touting minor gains in some villages having no consequence to the overall war. Whatever happened with Prigozhin, it’s even lest consequential than that the minor territorial gains by the Ukrinian army. Kiev and Washington played up Prigozhin’s failed coup as having some consequence to the Ukraine War. Zelenssky admitted recently that the counteroffensive has gone much slower than expected, pointing to a stalemate
Kiev and Washington made a big deal about Prigozhi’s failed coup, much like they did with Jan. 6, 2021 protesters, despite the fact Capitol Hill protesters came armed with cell phones not Kalashnikovs and rocket propelled grenades. Democrats and the press called what happened Jan. 6 an insurrection or attempted coup when, in fact, the Jan. 6 riots were nothing more that right wing rabble rousers looking to make a statement about rioting. Government officials are busy prosecuting Jan. 6 rioters when they killed no none during the whole sordid escapade. Only death attributed to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots were at the hands of Capitol Police who shot Arizona resident Ashli Babbitt. New York Times reported that Capitol Hill police officer Brian Sicknick had his scull bashed in by Trump supporters, something that proved blatantly false as he died of natural causes.
Putin said today that he let Prigozhin go crazy to avoid more senseless bloodshed, eventually pushing him into asylum in Belarus. Putin acknowledged that he wanted Prigozhin to return to his senses, knowing hi attempted coup was an irrational protest to losing so many troops fight the battle of Bakhmut. Unlike Washington and Kiev accounts, Putin said he was in charge of the situation before asking the 64-year-old mercenary fighter to leave the country. If you listen to Kiev or Washington, a growing rebellion exists in Russia demanding the Putin leave power. Just like fake stories about Putin’s terminal illness, the Western press want the public to believe Putin’s on his last legs, ready to resign. Putin played around with Prigozhin untill he was ushered out of the country without protests. Prigozhin talked like there was conviction to his unrealistic demands.
Contrary to press reports from Kiev and Washington, the brief but failed coup attempt changed nothing on the ground in Ukraine. Western officials still have to deal with the ongoing Ukraine War, where both sides look stalemated. Moscow shows no signs a wider revolt beyond Prigozhin’s failed coup attempt. Prigozhin remains a passing footnote in the destructive Ukraine War, where both sides have made any ceasefire and peace process near impossible. Biden and Zelensky haven’t had enough bloodshed, keeping the war going until every Russia soldier gets out of Ukraine. Since that’s not happening anytime soon, expect Russian troops in Ukraine for the foreseeable future. Putin had Russian troops in Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea before the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion. There’s no indication that Putin’s about to withdraw his troops anytime soon, regardless of Washington and Kiev propaganda.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analzying spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.
