The United States and its allies had nothing to do with the mutiny undertaken by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the private Russian army known as the Wagner Group that occurred in Russia on June 23 and June 24, according to U.S. President Joe Biden.
The president commented on the short-lived insurrection during White House remarks on June 26, saying he had been in constant communication with U.S. allies over the weekend to prepare for a range of possible outcomes.
“They agreed with me that we had to make sure we gave Putin no excuse—let me emphasize—we gave Putin no excuse to blame this on the West or to blame this on NATO. We made clear that we were not involved,” Biden said.
He may have wished to emphasize the point given that he has personally blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for what Biden has called “Putin’s illegal war.”
Speaking of Putin, Biden said in March 2022, about a month after the invasion of Ukraine, “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”
A White House official immediately downplayed Biden’s remark, indicating that it wasn’t a call to remove Putin. However, when commemorating the anniversary of the Ukraine invasion in February, Biden said, “President Putin chose this war. Every day the war continues is his choice.”
The Mutiny
Prigozhin’s Wagner Group had played an increasing role in the Russian war on Ukraine over the past year, particularly as losses by regular Russian troops mounted. At the same time, Prigozhin, who had been an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, became increasingly critical of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.
Prigozhin claimed that, on June 24, the two senior leaders launched a deliberate attack on Wagner troops, killing about 30 fighters. He then led his troops out of Ukraine to seize the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, a major military hub.
Putin denounced Prigozhin as a traitor and vowed to put down the rebellion.
Within a day, the Wagner force moved north toward Moscow, reaching a position 125 miles from the city. During the advance, Wagner forces shot down several military helicopters and a communications plane, killing at least 15 people, according to Russian media reports.
Despite the fact that the insurrection was a challenge to Putin’s leadership, which is believed to have been weakened by the heavy losses in Ukraine, the Russian leader quickly agreed to terms for ending the incident.
Prigozhin was allowed to leave the country and retire to Belarus. The Wagner fighters were allowed to return to their bases and won’t face punishment for taking part in the mutiny.
Watch and Wait
While the mutiny has ended, the situation in Russia remains unclear, according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.It’s too soon to assess the effect that the mutiny will have on Russia, Kirby told reporters at the White House on June 26. Currently, the United States doesn’t know where the Wagner forces are moving, he said.
Although Prigozhin’s whereabouts aren’t known, he released an audio statement on June 26 defending his actions as necessary “to prevent the destruction of the Wagner private military company.”
Putin appeared on television on June 26 to thank the nation for unity in the face of the armed rebellion. He said all necessary actions had been taken to defend the country against the uprising. Putin blamed the mutiny on “Russia’s enemies.”
Shoigu also released a video of himself, in which he’s seen reviewing troops in Ukraine, in an apparent attempt to project calm and control.
To ensure a coordinated response to the situation in Russia as it develops, Biden intends to maintain contact with U.S. allies.
“It’s still too early to reach a definitive conclusion about where this is going. The ultimate outcome of all this remains to be seen. But no matter what comes next, I will keep making sure that our allies and our partners are closely aligned in how we are reading and responding to the situation,” the president said.
During a June 25 call, Biden assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of continuing U.S. support.
“I told [Zelenskyy] that no matter what happened in Russia—let me say it again—no matter what happened in Russia, we, the United States, will continue to support Ukraine’s defense and its sovereignty and its territorial integrity.”
