this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2023
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Honestly, I'm still thinking this is some next level of maskirovka to reposition Wagner in Belarus for an attack.
People are rejoicing too much while we have no fucking idea what is really going as of now.
Most of this circus does not make much sense. I am waiting for more details to make judgement.
Your theory makes more sense than the narrative.
This has felt, and continues to feel, like a Game of Thrones episode.
I'm just not sure which set of seasons, yet.
Please don't let it have a completely unecessary Ed Sheeran cameo.
Obligatory mention that James Blunt had a key role in the Ballan events destroying Russia's international clout after the USSR fell in the 90s.
Please do elaborate on that one...
Not quite, but would've.
His general refused an order from another general to fire on Russians, believing it would start ww3.
Blunt claims he would've refused the order too as a captain in the British army, if it hadn't already been refused higher up in the chain of command
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/singer-james-blunt-prevent-world-war-iii/
Yeah I only knew he was a tank commander there, that's "key role" enough for me.
Thanks.
Its weird to think how, at some points in time, individuals decide the fate of nations, and sometimes the world. Brings to mind that USSR officer who didn't trigger WW3/MAD by not believing the incoming missile warning was legit.
My theory is that Prigozhin thought he could just walk in and take power, with the regular military falling in behind him, This was partially true except the main military seemed to be taking a wait and see approach, but Putin's loyalists threatened the lives of Wagner leadership's families to get them to back off, and then Putin saw the news coverage calling him weak for cutting a deal at all. Now Putin has to backtrack on his promise, which makes him seem even weaker.
Putin also has to find and capture Prigozhin before Wagner regroups and actually marches on Moscow. Which is still on the table.
The key here is that no one involved in this mess seems to be good at their job, they all seem to be petty would be dictators (or an actual petty dictator in Putin's case).
"The key here is that no one involved in this mess seems to be good at their job, they all seem to be petty would be dictators (or an actual petty dictator in Putin's case)."
This is what happens in a government culture that leans so heavily on the importance of machismo and appearing strong, rather than actually being competent and promoting stability.
I think this is a great point. A lot of seemingly inexplicable behavior on the part of various elements in Russia starts to make a lot more sense if you factor in the likelihood that they arenβt actually competent.
I find that every conspiracy theory falls apart if you just assume a normal level of incompetence and miscommunication.
What makes more sense, Putin playing some sort of masterful game where he looks incompetent, or he was actually arrogant enough to believe that his lapdog wouldn't turn on him, and never even considered that Prigozhin would march on Moscow?
Then Prigozhin just assumed that the regular army would turn around and join him. Bitch please, you aren't a war hero, you're a fucking mercenary murderer. Prigozhin takes the blame for committing atrocities all the time, both because he (and his men) do commit countless atrocities, but also because it's his job to take the blame.
It's like Eric Prince expecting loyalty from US servicemen because they are so impressed with how Blackwater runs.
So Putin, surprised as fuck (because everyone was) and on the back foot, threatens some families and cuts a deal with Prigozhin. Then sees the press eating him alive over it and is now trying to cover his ass again.
Apply this level of miscommunication and incompetence to any event is human history, and you likely have something resembling the truth.
On the other hand, when the question "is Putin doing something clever or something stupid?" Comes up it's increasingly more the latter than the former. It's possible that this situation doesn't make much sense because at its core it actually doesn't make much sense.
It all seems highly theatrical. The head of Wagner makes a huge deal about a coup and then just... stops? Like, these aren't stupid people. They knew there would be threats against their families, and they knew that Putin isn't trustworthy... especially toward someone who just went against his authority. Maybe they played him like a fiddle to paint him as a villain to further popularize the idea of absorbing Wagner...
I'm not so sure at this point.
The problem with the line of thinking that this is some sort of deception or a trap, is that none of what is happening here is working towards anything. You simply can't do surprise troop movements in the age of GEOINT, nor are intelligence agencies so single-minded you could "distract" them with a fake coup, nor does this have any effect on the current Ukrainian offensive. The supposed trap is missing the "trap" part.
An interesting thought for sure!
Reporting from Ukraine covered this yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZu3Yw4EwKQ&t=16s until minute 3.
The most convincing counter-argument for me was the loss of 7 russian aircraft plus pilots in the turmoil.
Nothing these creatures have done so far remotely suggests that they are capable of thinking up and executing a plan with any level of complex subtlety. They can only perform like a brute sledgehammer, even when the situation calls for a screwdriver.