Wagner mutiny: as Russia teetered, the elite trembled, and some private jets left
- Fears of civil war rose in world’s biggest nuclear power as mercenaries posed threat to Vladimir Putin’s 23-year rule
- In interviews with Reuters, about a dozen members of the Russian elite related their jitters as the weekend mutiny unfolded
As one of the most brutal mercenary forces marched on Moscow, some among Russia’s elite trembled in fear that the world’s biggest nuclear power was teetering on the brink of what President Vladimir Putin said could have been a civil war.
With Putin facing the biggest public challenge of his 23 years as paramount leader, some private jets sped out of Moscow, according to flight tracking data and one source with knowledge of the matter.
One fear was that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenary group, if he entered Moscow, would try to take over the economy, triggering yet another redistribution of ownership in Russia, the world’s biggest supplier of natural resources.
When Prigozhin’s men turned back just over 200km (150 miles) from Moscow, a different fear set in: that Putin, furious in his humiliation, would tighten the screws even further and take revenge against those considered not sufficiently loyal.
“A new reality has dawned in Russia,” a senior Russian source told Reuters on condition of anonymity when asked what had happened.
“And why do you use the past tense? What foundation do you have to say that anything has finished?” said the source. “The events of Saturday have shown that armed men can at any moment bend the whole country to their will.”