The rebellion against the Russian army may have ended in less than 24 hours, but the disarray in the enemy ranks was an unexpected gift and additional motivation for the Ukrainian troops.
The spectacle of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny at Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and, later, Russia’s scramble to fortify Moscow as troops marched to overthrow the country’s military leadership were greeted “with applause” by the commanders of Ukraine’s Eastern Forces Group, its spokesman, Serhii Cherevatiy, said.
Cherevatiy stressed that soldiers at the front are happy with this development, adding that the chaos and disorder on the Russian side is helping Ukrainian troops.
A video of well-known Ukrainian drone commander ‘Magyar’ watching the revolt while eating a huge amount of popcorn has gone viral. A plethora of memes poking fun at Russian leader Vladimir Putin have flooded social media and senior Ukrainian brass have signaled that this hints at more instability to come for Russians.
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Robert “Magyar”, the platoon commander who has built up the drone division for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, eats popcorn while watching the news of Prigozhin
Video filmed by his wife/fellow fighter, Natalia. pic.twitter.com/3lzCHL4ius
—Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) June 24, 2023
The immediate crisis ended with a Minsk-brokered deal that would send Yevgeny Prigojine into exile in Belarus. But for Ukrainians watching, the damage was done: Russian vulnerabilities were exposed, and in accepting concessions hours after calling Mr Prigozhin a traitor, Vladimir Putin appeared weak and desperate.
The short-lived rebellion did not noticeably affect the position of the Russian army along the 1,000 kilometer front line in eastern Ukraine, but it could give Ukraine the boost it needs. needs to step up the initial phase of its counter-offensive, which military leaders have admitted is going slower than expected.
Misappropriation of attention and resources
“In the short term, it took the focus away from the war and diverted some resources from the front,” explained Nigel Gould-Davies, senior Russia and Eurasia fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. But in the longer term, he said, it shows a lack of unity among Russia’s fighting forces.
“It’s terrible for Russia’s morale. Both officers and soldiers. It’s very good for Ukraine’s morale,” he summed up.
On Russian Telegram channels, servicemen who blog about the war have urged Russian soldiers to stay focused on the war. ” Brothers ! Anyone holding a weapon in the line of contact, remember your enemy is in front of you,” one message read.
Ukrainian soldier Andrii Kvasnytsia, who was injured fighting in the eastern town of Bakhmut, where fighting rages non-stop along the southern flanks of the salt mining town occupied by Russian troops, said “everyone is excited”.
“My friend called me today and he said, ‘Andrii, I haven’t had a drink in so many years, but today I have a good reason to drink’,” said the 50 year old man.
“Everything is difficult, not easy, but we will definitely win,” he added in an interview with The Associated Press from kyiv, where he is recovering from his injuries.