Prigozhin's rebellion is an unprecedented challenge for Putin – The UK

James Cleverly, the UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, said that the mutiny of the Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin testifies to the crisis phenomena in the Russian government.

Source: James Cleverly, the UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, during a speech in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament

Cleverly emphasised that the attempted mutiny of the Wagner Group fighters is an internal matter for Russia, as is who should be in power there.

"But everyone should note that one of Putin's protégés has publicly destroyed his case for the war in Ukraine," he added, recalling Prigozhin's statement that the personal ambitions of the Russian military leadership allegedly caused Russia's invasion.

The head of the UK Foreign Ministry also pointed out that Prigozhin accused the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation of misleading the president and the people, saying "that there was incredible aggression from the Ukrainian side, with NATO support, ready to attack Russia".

"The Russian government’s lies have been exposed by one of President Putin's own henchmen... Prigozhin's rebellion is an unprecedented challenge to President Putin's authority and it is clear that cracks are emerging in the Russian support for the war," he concluded.

At the same time, Cleverly emphasised that the situation with the rebellion in Russia will not affect the UK's support for Ukraine.

"We will not be distracted from our work to support Ukraine's self-defence and their self-recovery. This weekend’s events show that it is Ukraine and its partners, not Russia, that have the strategic patience and resolve to prevail," he believes.

Background: On the night of Saturday, 24 June, the Wagner Group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced his intention to "deal with" the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defence, claiming that it was trying to kill Wagner fighters. When the militants were already moving towards Moscow, Prigozhin announced the cancellation of the "march" and agreed to leave for Belarus.

According to The Times, the UK government believes that the United Kingdom should prepare for the scenario of the sudden collapse of the Russian Federation so that such events do not catch London by surprise. 

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