Russian President Vladimir Putin dealt with the first real coup attempt during his more than 23 years in power on June 24. Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin pulled his fighters out of Ukraine and began marching to Moscow, intent on ousting the military heads. The rebellion was over as quickly as it began, and now a former CIA director is issuing a warning.
The day after the rebellion failed, retired US Army General Army Gen. David Petraeus, who also served as the former CIA director, appeared on Fake News CNN’s “State of the Union.” He told host Dana Bash that Prigozhin managed to walk away with “his life but lost his Wagner Group.” Further, Petraeus said the failed chief should “be very careful around open windows in his new surroundings in Belarus,” insinuating that Putin will probably try to have him assassinated.
Petraeus went on to say that he believes Prigozhin “lost his nerve” when he didn’t generate “the kind of support that he had hoped” he would.
When the Wagner chief began marching toward the capital, he tried convincing people to support him by attacking Putin’s military’s current position in the Ukraine war. Prigozhin’s position was basically that the war was unnecessary and should not continue. But when the convoy was about two hours outside of Moscow, he suddenly announced he was sending his mercenaries back to their positions in the war and ending the rebellion.
Later, news revealed an agreement was reached with Putin to give amnesty to everyone who participated. Prigozhin agreed to live in Belarus in exile moving forward.
The assassination warnings aren’t in jest. Putin’s regime has faced accusations that it has killed dissidents repeatedly. In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights found that the Kremlin poisoned Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, killing him. He was a former intelligence official for Russia who defected. Putin’s regime is also accused of poisoning opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and when that wasn’t successful, he threw him in prison.
Perhaps Prigozhin should heed Petraeus’ warning and stay away from the windows after all.