Wagner Group Insurrection Shows Weaknesses in Russian Government

This past weekend, the Russian government experienced the most direct challenge to its rule since the fall of Soviet Union in 1991 when the head of the mercenary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, took control of some Russian cities and ordered his troops to advance towards Moscow. The advance was called off after Prigozhin agreed to an agreement brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, with the Wagner Group withdrawing from occupied cities and the criminal charges against Prigozhin dropped.

The Wagner Group is a private military company (PMC) that since 2014 has operated closely with the Russian government and other governments in operations across the world, from the Central African Republic to Syria to Venezuela. Wagner troops have been heavily involved in the war in Ukraine, with some troops suspected of committing war crimes in the course of the war. Prigozhin is known for recruiting from prisons to fill his ranks, with the promise of amnesty after a six-month deployment.

Prigozhin had long been one of Putin’s closest associates, originally heading a catering company with a number of government and military contracts. Since then, he has transformed Wagner Group into a military juggernaut, which this weekend challenged the Russian military for dominance. Prigozhin has for months expressed frustration with the leadership of the Russian military, claiming they have mishandled the war and failed to provide his troops ammunition.

While the attempted rebellion failed to take control of the Russian government or depose top military leaders, it was the greatest internal challenge to Putin’s rule since he first took power in 2000.

 

Mikhail Gorbachev: 1931-2022

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union who presided over its dissolution and abandonment of Marxist-Leninist communism, died Tuesday at 91. Russian news agencies reported that his death followed “a serious and long” illness.

One of the most consequential leaders of the 20th century, Gorbachev was born in 1931, the only Soviet leader born after the USSR was already established. Moving his way up through the Communist Party ranks, he joined the Politburo in 1979. Following the brief terms of Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko, he became General Secretary in 1985.

By the time he came to power, the Soviet Union had a stagnant economy, a dysfunctional government, and a military quagmire in Afghanistan. In an attempt to salvage the Soviet Union, he initiated structural reforms, perestroika, and a new openness and transparency to the outside world unprecedented in Soviet history, glasnost.

The reforms were not enough to salvage the failing Soviet system, however, and even helped lead to the dissolution of the state. Western countries at this time were prospering economically, and defense initiatives in the US, such as President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI, or 'Star Wars'), further weakened Soviet morale as they were unable to compete effectively.

Anti-communist movements gained strength in communist eastern European countries, leading to the revolutions of 1989. By the start of the next decade, the constituent countries of the USSR began to break away from the country, and with few exceptions, Gorbachev did not use force to put down the revolts. Surviving a coup attempt by communist hardliners but unable to save the USSR, Gorbachev resigned December 25, 1991, ending the Soviet Union.

His legacy since the end of his rule has largely been largely positive in the West, praising his openness to the outside world and allowing the Soviet Union to dissolve relatively peacefully. In Russia, his legacy has been more negative, with the main criticism being that he allowed the Soviet Union to collapse. Russia, while still a powerful country, no longer plays the pivotal role it did as the USSR and faces numerous economic and geopolitical challenges as a post-Soviet country.

 

Russia's War in Ukraine Continues

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has completed its first month, and while President Vladimir Putin’s forces have failed to take Ukraine’s capital Kyiv or its second largest city Kharkiv, Russian forces have taken large areas of Ukraine's southeast. Russia so far has captured few large cities and has encountered fierce resistance throughout the country.

Meanwhile, sanctions from Western countries continue to affect Russia’s economy, preventing it from easily selling its exports, including oil and food.

The current state of the war is much different from the consensus just before the war started, that the Russian military would be able to relatively quickly topple the Ukrainian government and control large swaths of territory. Any hope for a Ukrainian victory would likely lie in a long-term insurgency similar to Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion in the 1980s. Rather, the strong Ukrainian resistance has kept the government in power and prevented the seizure of many large cities, even though Russia has managed to control territory along the border and in the east and south of the country.

Putin’s actions in Ukraine have been characterized as war crimes given his military’s targeting of civilian neighborhoods. Russia’s attacks on civilian neighborhoods represent a dark turn in the conflict as following their failure to occupy most of Ukraine's major cities.

Russia last week announced they will shift focus to the eastern front, where Russia has been helping separatists since 2014 fight to remove Ukrainian control. Western nations have responded incredulously to the statement, skeptical of whether Russia will actually shift focus or will try a new offensive to capture Kyiv and other major cities.

 

Russian Invasion of Ukraine Continues as Western Countries Respond with Sanctions, Aid

Russian President Vladimir Putin began his country’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine last week, capping months of speculation over whether Russia would invade Ukraine, and if so, to what extent. The invasion is a large-scale manuever, with Russian troops advancing into Ukraine along its borders with Russia and Belarus, a key Russian ally.

The first days of the invasion have seen Russia take over sections of the country, though Russia has failed to establish air superiority over the country’s air space even after strikes aimed to take out Ukraine's air defenses on the first day. No major cities have been taken yet, though both sides have engaged in heavy fighting in the capital and largest city Kiev as well as Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv. Both cities are close to the borders of Belarus and Russia respectively and are vulnerable to Russian attacks. 

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky has vowed to remain in Kiev while fighting for control of the capital continues. He has posted videos on social media in attempts to boost morale at home as well as garner support from international audiences.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has encouraged Ukrainian soldiers to stage a coup against the Zelensky government, calling them ‘drug addicts’ and ‘neo-Nazis,’ and claimed that reaching a peace between Russia and a replacement government will be easier. Such a peace would likely entail Russian suzerainty over Ukraine and the possible cession of lands in the eastern part of Ukraine.

While the consensus has been that Ukraine will eventually fall to Russia should Russia use the full force of its conventional forces to take over the country, some observers have remarked positively on the strength of the Ukrainian resistance to the invasion, which has prevented the capture of any major cities thus far and prevented the capture of a critical airfield near Kiev.

Western countries have been providing Ukraine with military aid and intelligence both prior to and during the Russian invasion. The US and European Union have announced additional sanctions against Russia, as well as removing certain Russian banks from the SWIFT financial system, which allows international financial transactions to occur.

Russian Troops Loom on Ukrainian Border as Invasion Threat Continues

As thousands of Russian troops remain stationed threateningly close to Ukraine’s border, Western countries have tried to convince Russia to back off its threats of moving troops into the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin has counteroffered that NATO refuse any new members, a non-starter for the alliance.

NATO leaders are making trips to Kiev, Ukraine’s capital, including the prime ministers of the UK, the Netherlands, and Poland. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who himself has clashed with many Western leaders during his time in power, will also visit Kiev.

Germany, the largest economy in NATO after the US, has so far been tepid in its support of Ukraine, refraining from sending weapons while other NATO countries have done so. Germany is currently working with Russia to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany. Some in the US government have threatened sanctions over the pipeline, though such sanctions have been opposed, most notably by President Joe Biden, over concerns such measures could weaken the relationship between the US and Germany.

Russia currently is supporting an armed rebellion in eastern Ukraine, where ethnic Russian separatists are trying to break away from the government in Kiev. Russia also controls the Crimean Peninsula, considered by most countries as still part of Ukraine.

Russia fears Ukraine falling further into the West’s orbit as popular opinion in Ukraine has turned strongly against Russia since the 2014 revolution which toppled pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovich and prompted Russia to take over Crimea.

 

Soviet Union's End: Thirty Years Later

On December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbahev resigned as general secretary of the Communist Party. For Western countries, this occurred on Christmas day, though it was a much more typical day in the largely Orthodox Soviet Union, as Orthodox Christians observe Christmas in January. 

In Gorbachev's speech, he said, "I hereby discontinue my activities at the post of President of the USSR", and declared an end to the Cold War, which had subsumed geopolitics for over over four decades. His powers were then transferred to Russian president, Boris Yelstin. 

After his speech, the Soviet flag was lowered over the Kremlin, and the Russian flag was raised. The next day, upper chamber of the Soviet legislature formally voted to end the Soviet Union. 

Watch Gorbahev's speech translated to English here:

Protests Erupt in Russia over Poisoning and Arrest of Opposition Leader

Russian authorities have detained more than 5,000 people after demonstrations erupted across the country after opposition leader, Alexei Nalvany, was poisoned last year and arrested this month. Mysterious poisonings and assassinations have plagued opponents to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule in the past.

Nalvany was poisoned with a nerve agent in August 2020, falling ill on a flight. Nalvany recovered but was arrested on January 17 after returning to Russia, accused of violating terms of a suspended jail sentence.

 

Robert Mueller Speaks Publicly for the First Time Since Investigation Started

Former Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller spoke publicly Wednesday to speak on the findings in his report on Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election, alleged Trump campaign collusions with those efforts, and possible obstruction efforts by President Trump of the investigation.

Mueller offered no new information on his findings. He reiterated that the report did not find criminal activity between the Trump campaign and Russia, but could not says the Trump campaign did not commit any obstruction. Mueller said once again that his investigation was constrained by Department of Justice guidelines that prohibit the indictment of a sitting president.

Mueller refused to take questions and said he would not engage in hypotheticals. Chief among them is whether Mueller would indict Trump if he were not the president. The report said that, in addition to the DOJ guidelines, such charges may be difficult to prove given the president’s wide latitude to appoint and dismiss officials. Most evidence of obstruction given in Mueller’s report was related to Trump’s failed attempts to fire officials overseeing the investigation.

Trump, Putin Summit Leads to Political Controversy

President Trump’s recent Helsinki summit on July 16 with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed to calm relations between the two countries, though the political response to it in the US has been often critical of the tone Trump took with Putin, especially during the joint press conference.

During the press conference, Trump did not explicitly reject the findings of several US intelligence agencies which said that the Russian government had meddled in the 2016 US Presidential election by purchasing advertisements and astroturfing rallies with the intent to help Trump win over Clinton. However, Trump emphasized Putin’s denial of any meddling, calling his denials “powerful.” He also said, “President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be.” He later walked back that comment, saying that he should have said “wouldn’t” rather than “would,” which would imply that he was more inclined to believe the Russians had meddled than had not. In addition, Trump had said that both countries were to blame for deteriorated relations, which faced heavy blowback in the American media which highlighted Russia’s 2008 and 2014 invasions of Georgia and Ukraine respectively, as well as its support for dictator Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) both expressed their agreement with the US intelligence communities findings, but did not criticize Trump directly. Democrats took a much more combative tone, with some accusing the president of treason. One lawmaker, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) seemed to suggest a coup against Trump is warranted, tweeting, “Where are our military folks ?(sic) The Commander in Chief is in the hands of our enemy!” Cohen has denied such an intent.

Britain, Russia Face Diplomatic Spat over Attempted Killing

The United Kingdom and Russia are engaged in a diplomatic brawl after an attempted killing of a ex-spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter with a nerve agent. The former spy is a Russian who defected to the UK sometime prior, was poisoned on British soil on March the nerve agent, believed to have been manufactured in Russia. The niece of the poisoned man has said that both only have a slim chance of surviving, which would make the attempted killing an actual killing.

In response, Britain expelled  23 Russian diplomats from the country earlier this month. In addition, other countries have condemned the action and expelled Russian diplomats, including the United States, which is closing the Russian mission in Seattle.

Russia has responded, announcing that it will expel 50 British diplomats and diplomatic staff from the country, as well as diplomats from other countries. This comes as Russia has faced global criticism for its foreign policy, increasingly domestic authoritarianism, and its meddling in foreign elections.

Former Trump Campaign Chair Paul Manafort Indicted

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort turned himself in on Monday to the FBI after the probe by former FBI Director Robert Mueller pushed for charges related to Manafort’s lobbying work in Ukraine. The probe, which was directed to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, led to a raid on Manafort’s home in July and charges this week related to alleged money laundering. Manafort’s longtime associate Rick Gates was also charged.

Both have pled not guilty.

Mueller has also announced that Trump campaign staffer George Papadopoulos lied to the FBI about Russian attempts to contact the Trump campaign in 2016.