Prigozhin's Mutiny Was First Stage of Putin System's 'Dismantling'—Official

Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin's halted mutiny in Russia was the first stage of "dismantling" Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime, the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council said.

"Prigozhin is only part of the [Wagner] group and part of the plan," Oleksiy Danilov said in a post on Facebook. The Russian tycoon's rebellion attempt was "the tip of the iceberg of the destabilization process," he said.

In Prigozhin's armed uprising, which lasted less than 24 hours, the Wagner Group said it took control of two military hubs in southern Russia and advanced within 120 miles of Moscow before pulling back. Prigozhin announced a "march for justice" by his fighters against the country's military leadership after a months-long public feud into the handling of the war in Ukraine.

But his fighters withdrew after the Kremlin said a deal had been brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to avoid "bloodshed" which would see him leave for Belarus, and a criminal case against him for armed mutiny be dropped.

Danilov said a group of people dissatisfied with Putin has formed in Russia, including security forces, officials, and the country's elite. This group considers Putin's actions as endangering their own personal interests, their very existence, as well as posing a threat to the Russian Federation.

"Prigozhin's march from [Rostov-on-Don to Moscow] is a demonstration of how serious his intentions were, what opportunities exist, and how conditions are being created for launching a power transit process—be it voluntary or forced," said Danilov.

"Wagner convoys or those formed by other forces can still make it to the Red Square," he wrote.

Putin has only one way out—the total cleansing of the power bloc, the physical elimination of the Wagner Group, a demonstrative punishment of Prigozhin, and the introduction of martial law in Russia, Danilov added.

President Vladimir Putin, in a video message, described Prigozhin's attempted rebellion as a betrayal and a stab in the back. Russia's three main news agencies—Tass, RIA Novosti, and Interfax—reported on Monday that Prigozhin remains under investigation on suspicion of organizing an armed mutiny, despite the Kremlin's promises that charges would be dropped as part of a deal. Armed mutiny carries a jail term of up to 20 years in Russia.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of Internal Affairs, said Wagner's "march of justice" showed that the Kremlin "does not know its own country."

"The government in Russia is only strong on TV, but in reality, it is as rotten as the wooden barracks in the Russian provinces," he tweeted.

"Russia turned out to be not a fortress, but a gateway. Russian Volunteer Corps is free to enter the Belgorod region; the capital and the Kremlin are attacked by drones, and the mercenary army is capable of taking not Kyiv but Moscow without a fight in two days," Gerashchenko added.

Newsweek reached out to Russia's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

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