Russian security forces' war: competing sides elimination
Head of FSB Alexander Bortnikov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (Photo: kremlin.ru)
The war between the security forces - FSB and the Ministry of Defense of Russia - is entering an active phase. Physical elimination as a result of this confrontation is not excluded, said Andrii Cherniak, a Spokesperson of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
"According to our estimates, this is already an open war between the so-called 'towers' of the Kremlin, which will result in the physical elimination of representatives of competing sides," Cherniak said.
As the representative of intelligence explained, the Russian "top officials" already understand that their dictator, Vladimir Putin, has become weak. Therefore, they are now trying to gain power for themselves.
"Putin can no longer control and maintain the balance. The FSB and the Ministry of Defense understand that this is an opportunity for them to achieve a certain political victory," Cherniak noted.
As for Prigozhin and the relocation of a part of the Wagner Group to Belarus, the Ukrainian intelligence does not currently see any threat to Ukraine, emphasized he.
"In any case, they will not be subordinate to the Ministry of Defense of Russia. The camps being built for them on the territory of Belarus are for the training of the Wagner Group. But we have no information that they will be prepared to attack Ukraine from Belarusian territory," Cherniak concluded.
The conflict between the Russian Ministry of Defense and FSB
Information about the conflict and peculiar rivalry between the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Ministry of Defense of Russia has been ongoing for a long time. And now, one of the reasons for this confrontation is the war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine and is now trying to hold its position in the face of the counteroffensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Evidence of these battles was, among other things, the "leak" of secret Pentagon documents on the Internet. Among other things, it was mentioned that there is a conflict between the FSB and the Ministry of Defense regarding the concealment of true information about Russian losses on the battlefield.
The internal struggle between Russian agencies responsible for different aspects of the war has become one of the reasons why the Kremlin, from "Kyiv in three days" to over a year of full-scale war, has been unable to secure victory on the battlefield.
Putin initiated "purges" after the coup attempt
The situation was fueled by the owner of the Wagner Private Military Company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who organized a coup attempt in Russia along with his mercenaries last Saturday.
He accused the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, who he has a long-standing feud with, of intentionally striking the Wagner Group and declared a so-called "March of Justice," stating that he would reach Moscow and that deal with not only Shoigu but also the Chief of the General Staff of Russia, Valery Gerasimov.
However, although Prigozhin's "march" did not last more than a day, it significantly affected the authority of the Kremlin's power. It became evident that the Putin regime failed to respond properly, allowing the Wagner Group to advance all the way to the Moscow region.
Now, when Putin allegedly managed to "suppress" the situation, the media reports that the dictator has started a "purge" in the military leadership. Supposedly, after the Prigozhin coup attempt, Russian General Sergei Surovikin has already been arrested. However, according to the Financial Times, the story of the arrests will not end there.
