Russia: purges loom after the uprising

As if nothing had happened: The Russian government simulates normalcy and insurgent mercenary chief Prigozhin justifies himself. The chaos in Russia will probably not have a short-term impact on the situation in Ukraine, but it will have a lasting impact on the country’s political elite.

Following the uprising of the private militia Wagner against the army leadership in Russia, the Russian government on Monday mainly tried to simulate normality. While President Vladimir Putin publicly took arms, his cabinet, led by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, reported that there were no major social consequences of the weekend’s events. The remarkable thing – as Russian Kremlin experts Farida Rustamova and Maxim Towkajl explained it – was that the Cabinet meeting was shown publicly. Usually, there are no pictures of such meetings.

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