Russian politician expects Putin’s demise: “He betrayed everyone – first the Wagner people, then the army”

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In the autumn he called for Vladimir Putin (70) to be accused of high treason. The appeal went to the Russian Duma – and was rejected. Since then, he continues his work as a representative of the St. Petersburg district from abroad. But his fight against the Russian president is not over yet. In an interview with “Stern”, Nikita Yuferev again reckons with Putin. He says: “Putin has betrayed everyone. He first betrayed the Wagner people. Then he betrayed the army.”

The background is the mutiny of June 24, when the troops of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozchin (62) moved towards Moscow. They shot down six helicopters and a Russian military plane. At least 15 soldiers died. After Prigozhin’s troops left, Putin pardoned the head of the Wagner group and his mercenaries.

Yuferev is now demanding clarification from the Director of the Internal Intelligence Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation and the Russian Prosecutor General. As a member of parliament, he is entitled to “conclusive accountability” from the government.

He wants to know why the Wagner troops got away with it. According to Yuferev, they committed at least 30 criminal code violations during the mutiny. The fact that they are still roaming free, the politician considers a “destruction of the rule of law”. He says: “The president, the FSB, all the security services together have abolished the penal code.”

Anyone who thinks that the politician takes Prigozhin’s side in this way is wrong. He describes Putin as a “warmonger” and Prigozhin as the “butcher of Bakhmut”. He says: «The fight between Putin and Prigozhin is a fight between two monsters. You can’t take sides here. They are murderers.” He filed the application to put authorities in an “embarrassing situation.” He says: “The more they boil with anger, the better. As long as these two greats fight, a third can outsmart them.”

In the eyes of the politician, the uprising also shows Putin’s weakness. He says: “The mutiny in Prigozhin showed how much Putin’s throne is shaking. We have seen that his power is unstable.” The fact that the sentence initially threatened by Putin was not carried out shows that “Putin cannot keep his word”.

Yuferev believes that Putin is now also losing face against the Russian elite. The mutiny showed that it is easy to frighten Putin. “Not only we have seen that, but also the Russian elites. Your faith in his strength and his leadership is wavering,” Yuferev said. “The elites now have a great opportunity to get rid of him – in a political sense. They now know that the public will not stand in their way.”

Russia expert Tatiana Stanovaya of the Berlin think tank Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center agrees. She wrote on Twitter: “The mutiny was so shocking that many thought the regime was about to collapse. In the eyes of the political class, Putin has lost the ability to secure control.” (Mrs)

Source: Blick