Putin's fear of defeat in Ukraine is about to overwhelm him.

 In the wake of the murky circumstances surrounding the death of Prigozhin, the CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent, Margaret Brennan (left), critically reviews the underlying reasons why, in the words of  US President Biden, 

""I don't know for a fact what happened [to Prigozhin]... but I am not surprised" (blog entry  ....)

Margaret Brennan : CBS News : 26 August 2023

As Margaret Brennan says,

"... the murky way he [Putin] sort of described it [the death of Prigozhin], not taking credit for an assasination, rather saying that, "Prigozhin was a man who made some mistakes", and he said that in a TV broadcast." (Margaret Brennan : CBS News : 26 August 2023) (my emphasis)

Is it therefore any coincidence that, so soon after Prigiozhin's death, as reported by Mattha Busby, Clea Skopeliti and Adam Fulton,

"The crash that killed militia leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has raised serious questions about the future of the mercenary Wagner Group of which he was the leader, especially following Putin’s demand for fighters to sign an oath of allegiance. 

Yesterday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov (left) refused to comment on Wagner’s future. However, according to the Moscow Times, he said that “legally the Wagner private military group does not exist”." (The Guardian : 26 August 2023) (my emphasis)

The Wagner private military group may not exist legally but, as reported by Luke Whelan (right),

"Fully masked Wagner Group mercenaries have been spotted crying over the death of their beloved leader – the warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin – at a makeshift shrine in Russia.
...
Similar memorials have been posted up at the group’s offices in Yekaterinburg and St Petersburg, according to the local media outlet Fontanka" (Express : 24 August 2023) (my emphasis)

More significantly, as reported by Alessandra Scotto di Santolo (left),

"Prigozhin's security services have allegedly conducted a swift operation to collect all electronics and documents from their offices before vanishing without a trace, in what sources say it's Prigozhin's 'Plan B' in case he was killed. ...

This contingency plan is rumored to involve the release of compromising materials, or "kompromat", targeting none other than Russian President ladimir Putin himself.

Putin remained silent as speculation swirled, addressing the BRICS summit in Johannesburg via videolink without mentioning the crash. Russian state media also has not covered it extensively" (Express : 24 August 2023) (my emphasis) 

 BBC News : 25 August 2023 : YouTube

 However, Nick Mordowanec (left) raises some interesting points viz.,

"The rumored death of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash Wednesday has led to speculation about whether he was even on the plane.
...
"It's difficult to imagine that Prigozhin and Utkin would place themselves in such a position to be killed by Putin, after their demonstration of incredible competence and meticulous preparation for the coup against Putin," Sushko said." (Newsweek : 23 August 2023) (my emphasis)

Nonetheless, the fallout from the news of  Progozhin's death has had significant effects on Putin's war with Ukraine.

Nick Mordowanec further reports that,

"A Russian military volunteer corps that has fought for Ukraine's sovereignty has a new message to Wagner Group fighters in the wake of Yevgeny Prigozhin's presumed death: Join our forces and fight the Kremlin.
...
"Therefore, now you are faced with a serious choice: Either stand in the stall of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and serve as watchdogs for the executioners of your commanders, or take revenge. To take revenge, you need to go over to the side of Ukraine. If you have not committed war crimes, we invite you to join our ranks." (Microsoft Start : Newsweek article : 26 August 2023) (my emphasis)

And against the backdrop of the fallout from Prigozhin's death, Ellie Cook (left) reports that,

"Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR) forces landed on the shores of the Russian-annexed territory overnight on Thursday, the GUR said in a statement. GUR soldiers and Ukrainian navy forces approached the settlements of Olenivka and Mayak in western Crimea on waterborne vessels, the agency added.
...
"[T]he GUR said it had destroyed a Russian S-400 air defense system at Cape Tarkhankut, killing a number of Russian soldiers.

"Crimea will be de-occupied like all other parts of Ukraine that are unfortunately still under the occupier," Zelensky said in an address on Wednesday." (Newsweek: 24 August 2023) (my emphasis)

James Kilner (right) also reports that,

"Ukraine’s forces believe they have broken through Russia’s strongest line of defence and will now be able to advance more quickly, a commander fighting in the south has said.

Kyiv’s troops are poised to capture the village of Robotyne in the southern sector of the frontline, a victory that commanders say could unlock Russia’s formidable defences." (Microsoft Start : Telegraph article: 26 August 2023) (my emphasis)

Not only does Putin now have to reinforce protecting his back against 'revenge seeking' Wagner soldiers, but he also now has to contend with Ukrainian soldiers penetrating into Ukraine's Crimea and breaking through his strongest line of defence on Ukrainian soil.

Putin's fear of defeat in Ukraine is about to overwhelm him. 

 

 

 

(to be continued)