By Athena Papakosta

What began as an operation to topple Russia’s military leadership ended in a U-turn and retreat, on the same day, for Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner paramilitary group who went from would-be contender to exile in Belarus under prosecution of being entered into the file.

The location of Prigozhin has not been known. He was last seen on camera leaving Rostov, one of two cities where his fighters had taken control of military installations.

Similarly, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faced the biggest challenge to his 23 years in power, has not reappeared in public since Saturday’s address to the Russian people. At the same time, it remains unknown whether or not she is in the Russian capital where she is currently off duty as anti-terrorist security measures put in place due to the short-lived Prigozhin rebellion remain in place.

For the West, the occupant of the Kremlin is now weak. Speaking to the American television network NBC, the Secretary of State of the United States, Anthony Blinken, spoke of “real cracks in the face of Moscow” while adding that 16 months ago the president of Russia appeared ready to occupy the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, and , now, he had to defend the Russian capital, Moscow, from forces led by his one-time protégé, Prigozhin.

“Putin sowed the seeds of his own destruction and now his confidant has become his enemy. Keep in mind that Putin’s system of control is now deeply shaken. He has made the biggest mistakes in his calculations, from a strategic point of view, creating a heavily armed – to the teeth, private army of mercenaries and criminals who will stop for no one,” emphasized the former special adviser to the United States of America, Mark Voyager.

While the international community is watching the developments with concern, analysts also point out that the rapid advance of Wagner’s forces towards Moscow – reaching within 200 kilometers of the Russian capital within hours – exposed the vulnerabilities of the security forces and the military. of Russia.

“It’s no surprise that this happened, but the speed with which they advanced towards Moscow and how quickly they arrived is shocking. Putin is definitely weaker, no doubt about it. But so does the Russian army”, pointed out the American congressman, James Crowe to the American CNN.

At the same time, in Kiev, its leadership tried to take advantage of the dramatic and historic developments taking place in the Russian capital as the Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway.

The Ukrainian army has launched an offensive on villages around Bakhmut, made gains in Krasnohorivka, also in eastern Ukraine, which has been in the hands of pro-Russian separatists since 2014, and has spoken of clearing Russians from the western bank of the Siverskyi Donets river. For his part, the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, stressed on Saturday that “the world saw that the masters of Russia do not control anything”, urging Ukraine’s allies to send more weapons to Kiev while, on Sunday night, he announced on Twitter that he also spoke by phone with his American counterpart, Joe Biden. In this regard, the White House issued a statement in which it notes that “President Biden reaffirmed the unwavering support of the United States.”

According to the American newspapers New York Times and Washington Post, the intelligence services of the United States had been informed in mid-June about an armed action planned by the leader of the mercenary group Wagner. The drop that reportedly “overflowed” his patience – as he had long since abandoned his silence – is believed to have been the fact that the Russian Ministry of Defense had on June 10 called on all volunteer forces to sign contracts with the Russian government.

The Russian crisis had no winner but only losers. Prigozhin went from being a traitor to be crushed to amnesty by finding refuge in Belarus after the mediation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of the Russian president.

Vladimir Putin saw the profile of the strong leader-guarantor of security in the country shaken by the one-time “Kremlin chef” while the cheers for Wagner’s fighters and Prigozhin himself further humiliated him.

The next day in Russia has not yet dawned. Where those who see an opportunity for Moscow’s collapse in Ukraine others see a president, armed with nuclear weapons, vulnerable and unpredictable.

The key to the “after” will be the next moves of the resident of the Kremlin who managed to save his regime, with analysts not failing to turn their eyes to what will be, ultimately, the fate of Prigozhin and his team.