Newsblog on the situation in Russia
Shoigu arrested? Alleged corruption allegations
From rtr, dpa, afp, t-online
Updated on 06/25/2023 – 10:30 p.m.Reading time: 24 min.
Wagner mercenaries in Rostov: Videos show the invasion of the Prigozhin troops. (Source: t-online)
The power struggle in Russia escalated on Saturday. Wagner mercenaries marched towards Moscow, but broke off the advance. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Kremlin demands media day off after Wagner uprising
10:20 p.m.: After the exciting hours during the uprising of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, the government in Moscow has spoken out in favor of a day off for media professionals and IT specialists.
“Saturday was a very emotional and tense day,” the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media said in online networks on Sunday. “We recommend giving employees of IT and telecommunications companies and the media a day off.” However, forces that are “involved in so-called critical functions” should be exempt from this.
In Russia almost all media are under the control of the Kremlin. Independent reporting has become almost impossible since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Media workers who report critical of the regime face long prison sentences.
Lithuania demands strengthening of NATO’s eastern flank after Wagner uprising
22 O `clock: After the uprising of the Russian private army Wagner against the leadership in Moscow, Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda calls for a further strengthening of NATO’s eastern flank. If Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ends up in exile in Belarus with unclear intentions, the security of the eastern border must be increased, said the head of state of the Baltic EU and NATO country on Sunday. “I’m not just talking about Lithuania here, but about NATO as a whole,” said Nauseda, according to Lithuanian radio. Lithuania borders Belarus and the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad.
“We are dealing with a large state, a nuclear state, and any internal unrest inevitably has consequences for the security of the surrounding states,” Nauseda said, referring to Russia. So far, he has had no information confirming that the Wagner boss is already in Belarus. He announced that Lithuania would in future deploy more intelligence capabilities to assess the “political and security aspects” of the situation in Belarus.
This Monday, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is in Vilnius for a meeting with Nauseda to prepare for the NATO summit on July 11 and 12 in the Lithuanian capital. One of the most important issues is the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Stoltenberg also wants to watch a Bundeswehr exercise with the Lithuanian army with Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD).
Wagner apparently has no contact with Prigozhin
Yevgeny Prigoschin: The head of the Wagner troupe making an announcement in front of TV cameras. (Source: IMAGO/Pool/Wagner Group)
Röttgen: “Putin will never recover from this”
3:15 p.m.: FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann sees the uprising by the Russian private army Wagner as signs of a weakening of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “It is possible that the first hairline crack has appeared in Moscow’s internal power structure in the last 24 hours. Several such hairline cracks could affect the overall stability of his government in the future,” said the chairwoman of the defense committee in the Bundestag on Sunday the editorial network Germany (RND). The revolt led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is a humiliation for Putin.
The CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen made a similar statement in the “Rheinische Post”: “These day and a half have dealt Putin’s authority a serious blow. Prigozhin was Putin’s man from the start right up to his role in the war. So his attempted coup is another failure Putin’s.” The fact that Prigozhin will not be punished, as announced by the Kremlin, is also a sign of weakness. “Putin will never recover from this.”
In view of the Wagner revolt, Strack-Zimmermann sees opportunities for the Ukraine attacked by Russia, because the motivation of the Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine could have been influenced by the uprising. “Therein lies the chance that Ukraine will defend itself even more successfully.”
