'Paralysis on all levels': Putin critics recall his failure to act during Prigozhin’s rebellion

25 July 2023

One month after Russian mercenary boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin attempted to launch a rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin, critics of the president say he failed to act in the moment, despite the fact he "vowed to crush the rebellion on the morning" it occurred, The Washington Post reports.

Per The Post, "This account of the standoff, corroborated by officials in Western governments, provides the most detailed look at the paralysis and disarray inside the Kremlin during the first hours of the severest challenge to Putin's 23-year presidency," and "is consistent with public comments by CIA Director William J. Burns last week that for much of the 36 hours of the mutiny Russian security services, the military and decision-makers 'appeared to be adrift.'"

An affiliate with "Russian diplomatic circles" recounted the day of the rebellion, saying, "There was disarray. You could argue about the depth of it, but there really was lack of agreement. We heard all these statements. They were not always consistent … For some time, they did not know how to react."

A top Ukrainian security official noted, "The local authorities did not receive any commands from the leadership. From our point of view this is the biggest sign of the unhealthy situation inside Russia. The authoritarian system is formed in such a way that without a very clear command from the leadership, people don’t do anything. When the leadership is in turmoil and disarray, it is the same situation at the local level and even worse."

Furthermore, The Post reports:

The intelligence information helps explain what's been seen as the biggest debacle of Putin's rule — how Prigozhin's armed band of fighters, demanding the ouster of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and armed forces chief of staff Valery Gerasimov, were able to proceed to within 120 miles of Moscow without facing resistance, before eventually agreeing to turn around after a deal was brokered with the help of Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian president.

The disarray in the Kremlin also reflects a deepening divide inside Russia's security and military establishment over the conduct of the war in Ukraine, with many including in the upper reaches of the security services and military supporting Prigozhin's drive to oust Russia's top military leadership, the European security officials said.

A European security officer noted, "Putin had time to take the decision to liquidate [the rebellion] and arrest the organizers. Then when it began to happen, there was paralysis on all levels. … There was absolute dismay and confusion. For a long time, they did not know how to react."

Russian ex-colonel Gennady Gudkov, who according to the report "is now an opposition politician in exile," added "Putin showed himself to be a person who is not able to make serious, important and quick decisions in critical situations. He just hid. This was not understood by most of the Russian population. But it was very well understood by Putin's elite. He is no longer the guarantor of their security and the preservation of the system."

A current Russian intelligence official emphasized, "Russia is a country of mafia rules. And Putin made an unforgivable mistake. He lost his reputation as the toughest man in town."

The Washington Post's full report is available at this link (subscription required).

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