Putin Likely 'Under Pressure' Since Prigozhin Turned on Him: MI6 Leader
MI6 leader said Vladimir Putin is likely feeling the "pressure" of Yevgeny Prigozhin's rebellion.
"Prigozhin was his creature, utterly created by Putin, and yet he turned on him," Richard Moore told Politico.
Last month, Prigozhin's Wagner Group staged a brief mutiny against Putin's military leaders before backing down.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely feeling the pressure since Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin staged an armed mutiny last month, a top leader of Britain's intelligence service MI6 told Politico.
"Prigozhin was his creature, utterly created by Putin, and yet he turned on him," Richard Moore told Politico, noting an interesting dynamic in their relationship. "He really didn't fight back against Prigozhin. He cut a deal to save his skin using the good offices of the leader of Belarus," Moore said.
Before Prigozhin and his Wagner troops could march on Moscow, Putin made a deal with Prigozhin to stop the mutiny, telling the mercenary boss that he could live in exile in Belarus and avoid charges for essentially inciting an armed rebellion.
Belarusian dictator and longtime Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko is credited with brokering the deal that saw Wagner forces turn around only a few hours out from the Russian capital.
When exactly Prigozhin went into exile in Belarus is unclear. The Kremlin has said that he was in Russia meeting with Putin just days after he launched a mutiny against the Russian ministry of defense. Among some observers, the sparing of Prigozhin is seen as undermining Putin's reputation as a ruthless leader.
Now in Belarus, specifically at a training camp where Wagner forces are instructing Belarusian military personnel, Prigozhin took another oblique shot at Russian leadership on Wednesday by criticizing his ongoing war in Ukraine, even as the Kremlin tries to keep the rogue leader quiet.
"Right now, what is happening on the front is a disgrace that we don't need to get involved with," Prigozhin said in a video posted to Telegram. Wagner was a prominent force in front-line combat in Ukraine, especially in the push to capture Bakhmut, but the once-celebrated group has fallen in the wake of its revolt and is no longer really involved in the war in Ukraine.
Source: Business Insider
