this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2023
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Joe Biden has been briefed on the chaotic situation in Russia with US officials describing it as “serious”.

The president was being kept informed as Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was accused by Moscow of launching an armed rebellion.

A White House National Security Council spokesman said: “We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments.”

A US official told CNN this crisis was “real” but the Pentagon and White House were waiting to see how it developed.

Steve Hall, former CIA chief of Russia operations, said it was in a “different league” to Prigozhin’s previous complaints against the Russian military hierarchy.

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[–] tymon@lemm.ee 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is gonna get so fucked up.

[–] LollerCorleone@kbin.social 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This is either going to fizzle out in the next few days or get really ugly.

[–] fidodo 11 points 1 year ago

No matter what happens it's at least 25k troops removed from the front line so that's a big deal.

[–] r3nder 1 points 1 year ago

Russia II: Romanov Resurrection

This summer. Putin, a man with no hair. On a quest to find his long lost twin. And bring Society Russia back to glory. But, There's only one thing stopping him.. [Prigozhin enters screen left with arm elbow deep up his own ass] "Vaaaladimir?" [Putin throws oligarch out window] "THIS IS SUCH BORSCHIT"

RUSSIA 2: ROMANOV RESURRECTION, COMING TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU.

[–] Stanley_Pain@lemmy.dbzer0.com 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Couldn't have happened to a nicer dictator.

[–] Jon-H558@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Except the new guy will be worse than the last

[–] exscape@kbin.social 22 points 1 year ago

Russian forces have had to retreat from territories they’d gained, and Prigozhin says army bosses are weak because they are unwilling to use tactical nuclear weapons.

Yep. Might actually be the case that Putin is the lesser evil here.

[–] xtremeownage@lemmyonline.com 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

The downside.... its like a horrible dictator overthrowing another horrible dictator ~~castro, overthrowing putin.~~ (The comparison of who is the worst human, wasn't the piece up for debate here...)

On the upside though, might give ukraine a really good opportunity.

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Prigozhin is nothing like Castro. He's far worse.

[–] xtremeownage@lemmyonline.com 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I considered using hitler instead in my example- But, I don't think ANYONE can compare to him.

[–] bluGill@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You seem to not be familiar with Stalin and Mao. Both were worse than Hitler, despite being on our side.

[–] xtremeownage@lemmyonline.com 4 points 1 year ago

I know OF them- But, I'll admit- I should know a lot more regarding their history. I am not very fresh in that area.

[–] Templa 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I'm sorry, that's an awful comparison. Castro can't be compated to Putin as he was way more progressive. I don't know their leaders but if I had to guess would probably be more fascist. Which yeah, it isn't better than having Putin in power.

Edit: Okay, I did a bit of research and I am extremely more concerned

[–] xtremeownage@lemmyonline.com 2 points 1 year ago

I edited the original post.

[–] irongamer 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)
[–] socphoenix@midwest.social 19 points 1 year ago

This sounds so bizarre. Assuming the attack wasn’t some stupidly convoluted false flag, Wagner can’t actually be stupid enough to think Putin won’t retaliate, can they?

[–] Cryst@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago
[–] Frederic 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's a masquerade. Wagner is controlled by GRU, and Poutine control GRU with an iron glove. This is just to kick choigou and guerassimov.

[–] maynarkh@feddit.nl 13 points 1 year ago

Kinda stupid way to do that, I mean they shot down multiple attack helicopters, sent cruise missiles against their own troops, and moved a lot of troops off the front during the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

It's infighting and shows Putin's weakness no matter how many layers of bullshit is under this.

[–] CrimsonOnoscopy 9 points 1 year ago

Their plan is to make themselves look weak and incompetent?

I very much doubt it.

[–] curt 20 points 1 year ago

This could be a chance for the Ukraine to push its counter offensive, especially if Putin or Wagner withdraw troops to deal with the coup. If not, the Russian troops in the Ukraine may get jittery hearing of a coup at home.

[–] danc4498@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago (9 children)

I know it's good seeing the snake eat its own tale, but what happens if Wagner group takes over Russia? My understanding is that both the group and the guy in charge of the group are no better than Putin. Do they take out Putin, then step aside for a democratically elected president?

[–] root_beer@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do they take out Putin, then step aside for a democratically elected president?

Genuinely curious—is there any reason to believe they’d actually do this?

[–] Cylinsier 31 points 1 year ago

Absolutely zero percent chance that happens. The only outcome of this is undisguised dictatorship. The only thing we don't know yet is whether it's Wagner succeeding and installing a military junta or Putin surviving and using this as an excuse to dissolve whatever semblance of a democracy they pretended to have.

I don't see any chance for democracy anytime soon. Best case, Russian army and Wagner troops will decimate each other severely, and whoever ends up in power is struggling too much with domestic problems to effectively fight any other countries.

Worst case, one of the military leaders dies early, all troops end up intact in one hand, and whoever ends up the dictator is less inhibited to use nukes in Ukraine, thinking it might assert their dominance.

[–] Midnitte@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

I think looking at coups historically would be beneficial. I don't imagine Russia as a state (either way) will have much energy for foreign invasion while it's dealing with an internal one. I would imagine there will be much they need to rebuild in an institutional sense...

I doubt anyone involved is going to step aside and risk falling out of a window for democracy in Russia.

[–] fidodo 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I doubt things in Russia will get better but I'd expect the country would come out weaker so hopefully they wouldn't be able to continue their wars since they'll be more concerned with consolidating power.

[–] somniumx@feddit.de 12 points 1 year ago

I doubt things in Russia will get better

Russian history tldr version: And then things got worse

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[–] Rentlar 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We are monitoring the situation and consulting with allies and partners on these developments.

Macron, Schulz, Biden are having a movie night tonight, except it's real-time live-action.

[–] adude007@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Heard that Putin has fled Moscow. How long until they find putin hiding in a hole in the ground in Belarus like saddam in Iraq?

[–] DeathWearsANecktie@lemmy.fmhy.ml 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Wouldn't surprise me if it was just a ruse by the Kremlin to start pulling out of Ukraine under the guise of having to deal with a crisis in Russia's own borders. I honestly suspect they're trying to figure out the best way to bail without losing face.

On the other hand, maybe it's exactly as it seems and the wheels are starting to come off as there is unrest within the Russian ranks at a lack of purpose and huge loss of life for no gain. Or maybe it's just mercenaries being mercenaries and having no loyalty to anyone.

Hard to know what to believe with anything that involves the Kremlin.

[–] hamiltonicity 11 points 1 year ago

Putin's now fled Moscow to Tver. He's made himself look weak and scared, which is incredibly personally dangerous for any strongman dictator and IMO completely rules out a trick. He might well have sanctioned Prigozhin's earlier outbursts - he certainly kept to the rule of pretending that Putin himself was infallible, and only being given bad advice by Shoigu - but the only way this ends now is with either Putin or Prigozhin dead.

[–] SkadusX@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yeah, but if it is a ruse, how does Prigozhin wind up? Can't imagine him going back to... whatever he was doing... after faking like he's starting a civil war. I'd imagine a high cost for going along with it. Also Putin seems too proud to make up a scenario like this where he looks like he's running away.

But also I should admit I don't know anything about any of this.

[–] suddenlythequietrose 5 points 1 year ago

I also don't know anything and I agree. There's a lot of smoke in mirrors from Russian command, but I don't see how faking an internal coup would be helpful for Putin. They've seemingly already made their way through multiple towns and are fighting into Moscow. They've been the sledgehammer this whole conflict and they turned around on a dime, who knows how this is going to turn out.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

As the fall guy.

[–] SenorBolsa 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I don't think this holds water, Putin was never that brilliant but I doubt he's dumb enough for this kind of 4-D face eating leopard chess.

It makes him look so weak and just about the only thing he has been good at is projecting strength.

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