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Where is Vladimir Putin? A question we all had on Monday – two days after a dramatic mutiny by the Wagner Group, a convoy of mercenary fighters headed for Moscow.
A Putin spokesman announced a deal to end the Wagner rebellion late on Saturday.
But when will the president himself comment on the controversial matter?
It was controversial because Wagner’s mercenaries had mutinied, seized military positions, and then marched on Moscow; Russian Air Force pilots were killed in the mutiny.
However, the Kremlin agreed not to prosecute the Wagner fighters or their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in return for canceling the mutiny plan.
Over the past week, President Putin has made a series of unusual public appearances – all televised – in an apparent attempt to police the “ship”.
Monday: Addressing the people via video
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On Monday we hear from Prigozhin an audio message posted online offering his side of the story.
He says his men have gone to Moscow to “hold accountable” the leaders he blamed for the “mistakes” of the Ukraine war.
Then an announcement was made late in the evening. “Get ready: President Putin will address the nation.”
Putin appears on television after ten in the evening.
A speech from him late at night is very unusual.
Social media is abuzz with rumors that this will be a speech that will “decide the fate of Russia.”
With fear we turn on Russian television to hear the president speak.
It soon becomes clear that this title will not decide the fate of the country. There are no important and pivotal ads. But the five-minute speech offers clues as to how the Kremlin will turn the weekend’s dramas in its favour.
Putin paints a picture of Russia united to defeat the betrayal of Wagner’s leaders.
He tries to win everyone over: he thanks the Russian public, Russian officials, religious leaders, the Russian Armed Forces and its security services. He distinguishes between the leaders of the rebellion and the ordinary Wagner fighters and leaders whom he praises as patriots. Crucially, he presents himself as the man who avoided too much bloodshed.
“As soon as these events began to unfold, in line with my direct instructions, great steps were taken to avoid bloodshed,” he says.
Tuesday: face the forces
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By Tuesday morning, there was significant momentum to try to restore his authority.
In a quickly arranged event, some 2,500 Russian soldiers, guards and security officials lined the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square.
This is the site of the coronation and funeral processions of the Russian tsars.
Cue Putin: Against the backdrop of the onion-colored domes of the Kremlin cathedrals, the president — the supreme commander of the armed forces — descended from the Kremlin’s many steps down to the square’s red carpet.
Putin makes a speech to his troops.
Even before he starts to speak, the pictures say it all. Everything is here in one place: the Orthodox Church, the Kremlin, the president and the army. It reminds me of the old motto of the Russian Empire: “For the Faith, for the Tsar, for the Fatherland.”
In other words, the visual messages here are about presenting Russia as a country united behind Vladimir Putin.
It is as if they want the Russians to believe that the church, the army, and the president are all interdependent, even part of one.
In his brief speech, President Putin again claimed that Russian society had come together after the Wagner Rebellion.
But most of what he says is praise for his army to “stop a civil war.”
I declare a minute’s silence in memory of the fallen Air Force pilots. The President expresses his respect, but has not yet addressed the question of why the Wagner fighters have not been prosecuted for their betrayal of the Kremlin.
Playing the national anthem and giving a gun salute.
The general message here in simple terms: The president does not stand alone, but rather, with the help of the Russian army and the Russian people, he has just achieved a great victory for the nation.
Wednesday: Putin… “up close and personal”
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This was probably the most surprising Putin video of the week – perhaps of the year. This is because we see Putin as unlike Putin, in terms of approach and personality to the masses.
The official reason for President Putin’s visit to Dagestan is to chair a meeting on domestic tourism.
But it is not the meeting that later dominates news broadcasts on Russian television. It is the following unusual scenes.
The Kremlin leader appeared in the crowd of devotees in the city of Derbent.
We are used to seeing Vladimir Putin turn his back on those he does business with. Remember the long Kremlin tables with Putin seated safely at one end and his guests at the other?
not here. In Dagestan, he kisses children, shakes hands with women, and takes pictures with the public.
State TV clicks it.
“Screaming, squeaking, clapping,” exclaims a popular talk show host on Russia One. He said: “Even rock stars don’t get this kind of welcome. The West is making fun of that after Prigozhin’s rebellion the president has become weak. This proves the opposite.”
Putin’s behavior seems unusual. On the other hand, there is nothing particularly normal in Russia anymore.
The Russian president had just survived an armed insurrection. Perhaps he feels the need to prove – to the people, to the political elite and to himself – that he still has supporters out there. A “spontaneous” expression of his street popularity would fit the bill.
When we see these images, we are suddenly reminded of what happened last weekend, after the deal to end the insurgency was done. When the Wagner fighters led by Prigozhin left Rostov on Saturday night, they were cheered in the streets.
Did Vladimir Putin see those pictures? Does he feel the need for his own “heroic” moment?
We may never know the answer.
Thursday: A standing ovation…and a doodle
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President Putin attends a business conference on Russian brands in Moscow. He doesn’t make for another rock star moment.
However, any chance of trying to show:
(a) He is responsible and caring
(c) It is supported and loved by the people
The Russian President applauds as he enters the hall. He sits and listens to one of the organizers giving an introductory speech.
Addressing Putin, she says: “Vladimir Vladimirovich, and with you and the whole country, we lived the events of June 24 rebellion with anxiety. We are with you all and support you all.”
And to prove it, the delegates gave Vladimir Putin a standing ovation.
From the same event, we see another video that’s a bit more bizarre. President Putin scribbles on the interactive whiteboard.
The result is a red, cartoon-like face with three locks of hair.
A strange portrait of a leader learning the art of political survival.
Columns of loyal troops, guns saluting, crowds screaming and standing ovations.
With these kinds of images, the Kremlin leader is trying to show that he is back in control.
He even has time to paint. He must feel confident.
In the aftermath of the revolt, we saw a supercharged Putin this week.
It was here, it was there, it seemed to be everywhere. It looked as if he had begun his campaign for re-election, as his term ends next year.
But the positive images don’t change the fact that the rebellion took the Kremlin by surprise. It was a clear threat. Wagner’s fighters were on their way to Moscow when the rebellion was called off. It was an unprecedented challenge to Putin’s authority.
The long-term consequences of this are still unclear.
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2023-07-02 04:19:37
