Putin seeks to project business-as-usual image as Wagner mutiny questions linger
- The Russian president was due to speak in Moscow at the annual ‘Strong Ideas for a New Time’ forum, with his words likely pored over even more than usual
- Despite efforts to portray the weekend’s revolt as at an end, questions remain over the extent to which military and security services were aware of it beforehand
President Vladimir Putin continued efforts to reassert his authority and project a sense of business as usual after the mutiny by Wagner mercenaries that threatened his nearly quarter-century rule in Russia.
Putin was due to speak on Thursday at a forum called ‘Strong Ideas for a New Time’ in Moscow, an annual event whose title has taken on unexpected symbolism after the rebellion by Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s forces that came within 200km (124 miles) of the capital.
His comments will be closely looked at for any reference to recent events.
The president returned to Moscow overnight from southern Russia’s Dagestan republic where he held talks with regional officials on promoting tourism development. Saturday’s mutiny was not mentioned although one official thanked Putin for visiting “at such a difficult time”.
Unusually, state television showed Putin mixing with cheering local residents, even kissing a young girl on the head and posing for a selfie with her. That contrasted sharply with a strict Covid-19 quarantine regime the Kremlin has long maintained for anyone due to meet Putin to avoid possible infection of the 70-year-old leader.
Despite the effort to portray the mutiny crisis as at an end, questions have continued to hang over the extent to which elements within the military and the security services were aware of Prigozhin’s plan to march on Moscow to oust top Defence Ministry officials.