Western leaders say that the failed mutiny by the Russian mercenary Wagner Group over the weekend reveals the weakness of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Several thousand Wagner fighters seized Russian military facilities in Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh, south of Moscow, over the weekend. Putin described the group’s actions as treason and a “stab in the back” for Russians.

Wagner forces were advancing on the Russian capital when the mutiny was suddenly called off after an apparent intervention by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a Russian ally. The Kremlin said no charges would be brought against Wagner, although it has since said that an investigation is ongoing.

Wagner forces have played a central role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group’s leader, has purportedly fled to Belarus following the abandoned mutiny. In an audio message released Monday he said that the action was called off to avoid bloodshed.

Putin’s ‘monster’

At a meeting of European foreign ministers on Monday in Luxembourg, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the attempted mutiny revealed weakness in Putin’s leadership.

“The most important conclusion is that the war against Ukraine — launched by Putin and the monster that Putin created with Wagner — the monster is biting him now. That monster is acting against his creator. The political system is showing fragilities, and the military power is cracking. So, this is an important consequence of the war in Ukraine,” Borrell told reporters.

Belarus border

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited the 400-kilometer border that Poland shares with Belarus. Security has been stepped up along the EU’s borders with Belarus following the weekend’s events.

“Everything that is happening there [in Russia] is characterized by a high level of unpredictability. We don’t know, and no one in the world knows, what were the real reasons behind the events … the upcoming weeks will probably show us,” Morawiecki told reporters Sunday.

Britain noted that Prigozhin had questioned Putin’s justification for the invasion of Ukraine.

“The Russian government’s lies have been exposed by one of President Putin’s own henchmen,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told lawmakers Monday.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg echoed that view.

“The events over the weekend are an internal Russian matter and yet another demonstration of the big strategic mistake that President Putin made with his illegal annexation of Crimea and the war against Ukraine. As Russia continues its assault, it is even more important to continue our support to Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.

Ukraine opportunities

Addressing whether Ukraine could take advantage of the turmoil in Russia, General Philip Breedlove, the former commander of U.S. European Command, urged a measured response from Kyiv.

“Certainly, this begins to open some doors of opportunity, but we don’t go rushing headlong through them. We take them as they are applicable to the plan that Ukraine has already set out,” Breedlove told Reuters.

Kurt Volker, the former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations and former U.S. ambassador to NATO, said it was vital that Ukraine continue to push back invading Russian forces.

“I think what Ukraine needs to do is press every advantage it has to use this moment to get its territory back. Then as this war eventually stabilizes and presumably on the border, I think NATO is going to have to come back to the idea of Ukrainian membership in NATO,” Volker told Reuters.

China

Russian ally China has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday that Beijing supported Putin.

“The incident of the Wagner group … is Russia’s internal affair,” spokesperson Mao Ning said. “As Russia’s friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination for the new era, China supports Russia in maintaining national stability and achieving development and prosperity.”

Military aid

Australia announced on Monday an additional $73.5 million in military aid for Ukraine, including military vehicles, ammunition and humanitarian funding. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the weekend’s events made it clear the invasion of Ukraine was failing.

“The Russian illegal invasion of Ukraine has been a disaster for the people of Ukraine, most importantly, but it has also been a disaster for the people of Russia,” Albanese said in a televised statement.

European Union member states agreed Monday to boost a special fund used to finance military aid for Ukraine by $3.8 billion, raising its ceiling to more than $13 billion.

EU leaders are due to meet later this week to discuss further support for Ukraine.
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