Putin made deal with Prigozhin 'to save his skin' - Head of MI6
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin had no choice but to reach an agreement with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to end the rebellion. This decision was seen as a way to "save his skin," stated Richard Moore, the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service MI6.
"He really didn't fight back against Prigozhin, he cut a deal to save his skin, using the good offices of the leader of Belarus. So even I can't see inside Putin's head," he said.
According to Moore, if one looks at Putin's behavior that day, Prigozhin began as a "traitor over breakfast."
"He had been pardoned by supper and then a few days later, he was invited for tea. So, there are some things and even the chief of MI6 finds that a little bit difficult to try and interpret, in terms of who's in and who's out," he added.
The head of MI6 stated that Prigozhin is alive and at liberty after the rebellion. He said that Prigozhin is "floating around." However, it is evident that there is internal pressure on Putin, the intelligence chief added.
"You don't have a group of mercenaries advance up the motorway towards Moscow and get to within 125 kilometers of Moscow unless you have not quite predicted that was going to happen. So I think he probably feels under some pressure," Moore said.
Prigozhin's rebellion
On June 24, the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, orchestrated a rebellion that turned out to be a failure. During his coup attempt, Prigozhin called for a "march on Moscow" but fell short of reaching the Russian capital by about 200 km. After this, Putin decided to close the criminal case against Prigozhin on the condition that he would head to Belarus. Just yesterday, it was reported that Prigozhin flew to Belarus for the fourth time recently.
