A new national address made by Russian President Vladimir Putin has done little to quell the fallout and criticism resulting from Yevgeny Prigozhin's coup attempt and the future power structure within the nation.
Putin spoke from Moscow, his first public statement since he delivered an address Saturday to the Russian people that called the Prigozhin-led Wagner Group's actions "treasonous." Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov hyped the remarks as vital, saying prior to the speech that Putin's comments "without exaggeration, will determine the fate of Russia."
Prigozhin has reportedly brokered a deal with Putin and the Kremlin to seek safe refuge in Belarus, though Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko—arguably Putin's closest ally—has not publicly addressed the unfolding situation.
"Time was needed, among other things, to give those who had made a mistake a chance to come to their senses, to realize that their actions were firmly rejected by society, and that the adventure in which they had been involved had tragic and destructive consequences for Russia and for our state," Putin said, according to Reuters.
He added: "The organizers of the mutiny, having betrayed their country, their people, also betrayed those whom they dragged into the crime. They lied to them, they pushed them to death: under fire, to shoot their own."
The majority of Wagner fighters are patriots, Putin added, citing their military prowess in the Donbas region.
Putin never once uttered Prigozhin's name in the address.
"I think we're at the end of the first act, but the play is still not over," Brian Taylor, a political science professor and Russian expert at Syracuse University, told Newsweek via phone. "And if Putin is trying to pretend he can just go back to normal, I think he's going to be sadly mistaken.
"This has been a real shock to the system. Those within the system, as well as those looking from the outside, are going to have big questions and do have big questions about the stability and order that Putin always claims that he's brought to Russia. And there will also be big questions about what this means for the Russian war in Ukraine."
The questions are likely being dealt with behind the scenes, Taylor added, with Putin testing those closest to him based on their loyalty and ability to handle potential situations in the future.
"Putin's address made it clear that nothing is clear," tweeted Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian Internal Affairs Ministry. "Someone, it's unclear who exactly, started a rebellion against Russia...Prigozhin's name never came up. The only semi-clear hint was Putin saying that those who were promised it, would be able to retreat to Belarus.
"In short - that's yet another mafia type of negotiations which will end with an even bloodier rebellion and fighting. Everyone lost - Putin, Prigozhin, Russia. It seems, though, that Lukashenko lost the most."
Putin's address made it clear that nothing is clear. Someone, it's unclear who exactly, started a rebellion against Russia.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 26, 2023
The pilots who were shot down by someone (those who would not bear responsibility for their deaths) are heroes.
Wagnerites who shot down the pilots are…
Russian independent media outlet Vertska, citing a source close to the situation, reported Monday that multiple camps are being constructed in Osipovichi, in Belarus' Mogilev region, for some 8,000 fighters. It is located approximately 200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
In a message relayed by Prigozhin's press service, the Wagner leader mentioned Lukashenko "extending his hand" to the paramilitary fighters. Prigozhin believes it will aid his group's cause, to participate in the military campaign in a "legal jurisdiction."
While many Russians may have ignored the war in Ukraine or not paid total attention to it, Taylor said Prigozhin's efforts could bring it—as well as the criticisms against the nation for not being more militarily successful after 16 months—back to the forefront.
It also calls into question the overarching narrative that Putin is a strong man, that he's in charge, that there's no alternative to him, he added. Now that someone like Prigozhin, who was closely aligned with Putin, got away "scot-free," some Russians could be reanalyzing the present Russian power structure and wondering if it can be modified or requires a reset of sorts.
"Other people are looking at that," Taylor said. "They've got to start to think, 'Well, I've always counted on Putin to protect me and my interests. But is he really capable of doing that anymore?'
"And that's the last thing a personalist dictator like Putin wants are other elites asking the question, 'Does this guy still have what it takes to hold the system together? Or do we need to think about what a post-Putin Russia looks like? Do we need to think about alternatives? And how am I going to protect my interests in this very uncertain situation going forward?'"
Newsweek reached out to the Kremlin via email for comment.
