“Putin had time to take the decision to liquidate [the rebellion] and arrest the organizers” said one of the European security officials, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. Without any clear orders, local military and security chiefs took the decision not to try to stop the heavily armed Wagner troops, the security officials said. AdvertisementThe lack of direction from the Kremlin during the crisis has left Putin significantly weakened, according to his critics. He just hid,” said Gennady Gudkov, a former colonel in the Russian security services who is now an opposition politician in exile. “They created a monster for themselves,” one of the European security officials said.

Source: Washington Post July 25, 2023 14:45 UTC