KYIV — It is an extraordinary time to be in Ukraine. Every weekend brings new events in a country at war, but this past weekend has been particularly intense. The air-raid sirens, which have become all too familiar since the invasion by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022, sounded throughout Kyiv before the curfew on Friday night and continued intermittently until 6 a.m. The strikes on apartment buildings in the city resulted in the tragic loss of five lives. However, amidst the chaos, something unusual happened – for the first time in over a year, international events outside of Ukraine captured everyone’s attention.
A Ukrainian soprano, who had performed in “La Traviata” at the National Opera of Ukraine, remarked on the excitement she felt watching the recent developments in Russia. Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group managed to capture Rostov-on-Don, a crucial Russian military hub, and embarked on a march towards Moscow. This unexpected turn of events had the people of Kyiv cheering for the very mercenaries who were previously responsible for killing Ukrainians. However, Prigozhin’s advancement came to a halt when he struck a deal with the devil and agreed to exile in Belarus.
This turn of events left many questions unanswered. Could Prigozhin have toppled Putin? Why did he back down at such a crucial moment? What did he gain by allowing his former ally to remain in power? I was eager to hear the perspectives of Ukrainians and American expats, but to my surprise, they were just as puzzled as I was. The range of debate here remains narrower compared to America. Some, like Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia, believe that Prigozhin, now an “alternative leader” to Putin, will not remain banished in Belarus for long. On the other hand, a young Ukrainian entrepreneur and activist laughed at the suggestion and predicted that Prigozhin’s days were numbered.
While American experts, even the most knowledgeable ones, believe that Prigozhin had no chance against Putin, an American who has lived in Ukraine for years, pointed out an interesting observation over a meal of green borshch and varenyky. He mentioned that Moscow relied on poorly trained policemen to protect them from Prigozhin’s battle-hardened warriors. The swift downfall of the Wagner Group’s coup raised even more questions that even Ukrainians like the aforementioned entrepreneur, who has dedicated his life to studying Russia’s threat and warning the European Union, could not explain.
Did Putin allow Prigozhin to attack his own defense ministry only to regret it? Was this a staged “coup” orchestrated by Putin to resolve a power struggle within the Russian military? Did the dictator find a way to eliminate a man whose popularity surpassed his own due to his contributions to Russian glory? These are questions that the whole world is asking, but here in Kyiv, the speculation is more informed and certainly not idle. The answers to these questions may hold the key to Ukraine’s survival as they continue to fight for their existence.
Authored by Kelly Jane Torrance, op-ed editor at The Post.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
