Russian politician: “Putin betrayed everyone” After the fall of Prigozhin: who cooks for the Russian soldiers?

Once he wanted to have Russian President Vladimir Putin charged with treason, but now St. Petersburg local politician Nikita Yuferev has written to authorities asking questions about the background to the Prigozhin uprising.

Because the critic of the Kremlin boss, who protested against the president in Putin’s birthplace, sees the judicial authorities and the secret service of the FSB as responsible. He wants to know how the Wagner boss should be punished.

In an interview with “Stern”, he described both Vladimir Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin as “murderers” and “crocodiles” who went at each other’s throats. There are benefits to that: “As long as these two mates are fighting, a third party can get them a bargain.” He, too, benefited from a power struggle in Putin’s United Russia party in St. Petersburg and won the elections with his group.

“Putting the authorities in an embarrassing position”

Now he is apparently trying this tactic again, because the question of how to hold the insurgents accountable is causing trouble for the Kremlin. The Secret Service and the Prosecutor’s Office initially issued an arrest warrant for Prigozhin when he marched his troops to Moscow on June 23. But a deal, probably made by Belarus, gave the mercenary leader a chance to go into exile – the investigation was closed.

According to him, Yuferev wrote the letter “to put the authorities in an embarrassing position”. Since, according to his own statements, he is still an elected member of parliament in St. Petersburg – although he went into exile after the demand against Putin – Russian law requires an official response to him. He expects an apology, but it would still reveal signs of the “abolition of the rule of law” in the Russian Federation.

The uprising of those loyal to Prigozhin was a “huge blow” to Putin and the entire Russian state. He showed how Putin’s throne wobbles. First he promised to punish the traitors. “A day later it says, ‘Let them go in peace,'” Juferev told the “Stern”.

An “example of Putin’s instability”

The local politician from St. Petersburg wants to work for the rule of law. He finds the reason for the closure of the investigation against the insurgents “funny”. The fact that they finally gave up on their plan is akin to a murderer ending a series of murders and then going unpunished.

“In the case of the Prigozhin mutiny, lawyers have identified at least 30 clear violations of the Penal Code,” the now non-partisan politician explains. After all, 15 pilots were killed. Forgiving this is another example of Putin’s instability. “Putin has betrayed everyone. He first betrayed the Wagner people. Then he betrayed the army.”

According to him, the Russian elites would now have the chance to get rid of the president politically. The lack of public resistance to Prigozhin may also mean that no one stands in their way. Prigozhin opened a door. This one fell again. “It’s crucial that everyone saw how easy it is to open,” said Yuferev.

He is not alone in his judgment. Russia expert Tatiana Stanovaya of the Berlin think tank Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center also sees an impact on the powerful Moscow elite. “The elites may breathe a sigh of relief, but they remain in a state of silent shock. Many struggle with how fragile the whole “construction” has turned out to be. When you ask how it was possible to escape such a mutiny with impunity, many realize that much more is now allowed than first appeared,” she wrote on Twitter.

And even if the investigation is halted, according to the Kremlin, there is a plea for punishment. Russian State Duma deputy Andrei Gurulev even called for a “bullet in the head” of Prigozhin.

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