NATO: The "Wagner" rebellion, the consequence of the strategic mistake to attack Ukraine

2023-06-26 18:12:53, Kosova & Bota CNA

NATO: The "Wagner" rebellion, the consequence of the strategic mistake

The European Union has decided today to add 3.5 billion euros to the fund that helps Ukraine militarily as discussions continue over the weekend developments in Russia when the Wagner mercenary group rebelled against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While it is not yet known exactly what the consequences of this failed uprising will be, the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, says that what happened is the result of the strategic mistake of Russian President Putin to attack Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is monitoring the situation in Russia following the rebellion of the Russian mercenary group, Wagner. According to Mr. Stoltenberg, the recent developments are an internal matter for Russia.

"They are yet another demonstration of the great strategic mistake that President Putin made with his illegal annexation of Crimea and the war against Ukraine."

Russian President Vladimir Putin faced an unprecedented challenge to his authority over the weekend by a failed uprising by mercenary fighters of the Wagner Group.

The foreign ministers of the European Union met today in Luxembourg where they decided to add another 3.5 billion euros to the military aid fund for Ukraine. The bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, said the weekend uprising in Russia showed the war had created cracks in Russia's political system.

"The war against Ukraine, launched by Putin and the monster he created with Wagner, has now backfired. The monster is acting against its creator. The political system is showing fragility and the military power is cracking ," said Mr. Borell.

Britain is prepared for a number of scenarios in Russia, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday, noting the destabilizing impact of tensions between the mercenary Wagner Group and President Putin.

"What we saw this weekend is an example of what is emerging as a result of Russian aggression in Ukraine. It is obviously too early to predict what might happen. I am in contact with the allies and we are prepared for a number of scenarios" , said the British Prime Minister, Sunak.

During his stay in Lithuania, NATO chief Stoltenberg also said that the alliance was monitoring the situation in another neighboring country of Russia, Belarus. This country allows Russia to use its territory for the war in Ukraine and has also made agreements to place Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus.

"This is reckless and irresponsible. We see no sign that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons, but NATO remains vigilant ," said NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg.

Russia is the country with the world's largest nuclear arsenal, and the weekend's developments left governments friendly and hostile to Russia scrambling for answers about what might happen in the wake of the Wagner Group rebellion./ VOA