Putin’s bid to reassert Russia control post-Wagner mutiny is showing cracks
- Opponents of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu have stepped up internal calls for his removal following the failed revolt by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin
- While polls showed Putin’s public support remained strong, doubts about his control among the government and business elite spread
Opponents of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu from the security services stepped up internal calls for his removal, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe events that aren’t public.
Prigozhin had been publicly attacking Shoigu, a long-time ally of Putin’s, for months over the lack of success in the invasion of Ukraine. Putin spent the week trying to reassure key constituencies, with televised public events involving military, business and other groups. While polls showed his public support remained strong, doubts about his control among the government and business elite spread, insiders said.
The continuing turmoil deepened questions about what Prigozhin’s dramatic march on Moscow a week ago would mean for Putin’s 17-month-old invasion of Ukraine. The government in Kyiv renewed calls for more help for its military. There were growing signs that the US and some of its allies were reconsidering earlier caution on sending new kinds of weapons, despite fears about how the shaken Russian president might react.
