'News from a parallel reality': Russian war hawks shred Putin’s response to Wagner 'uprising'

27 June 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech on Tuesday in response to the private military company Wagner Group's abandoned march on Moscow, claiming that "the people who were dragged into the uprising saw that the army and the people were not with them."

But according to Daily Beast correspondent Allison Quinn's analysis, Putin's address further soured his image among Ukraine war hawks.

"The Russian leader was roundly mocked by many pro-war Russian figures Monday night for praising the 'courage' of the Wagner mercenaries who killed several service members and tried to seize control of military leadership in an attempted insurrection over the weekend. On Tuesday, he was filmed walking down a literal red carpet at the Kremlin to tell members of the military and security services they had 'stopped a civil war.'"

For instance, a pro-war Telegram channel called "Thirteenth" described Putin's words as "news from a parallel reality," Quinn explained. Another complained that "not a word has been said about the preconditions for the uprising, the systemic problems that led not only to Wagner's appearance but the fact that many people sympathized with it."

Igor Strelkov, the former commander of Russia's proxy forces in the occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine, wrote that "I have not seen anything more pitiful performed by a man remotely resembling the president. Great job everyone… The unrest continues."

Quinn also included remarks from pro-Russian military blogger Yury Kotenok, who stated that he "just can't believe that this is it."

Quinn's full report is available at this link (subscription required).

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