German Chancellor says uprising shows ‘cracks’ in autocracy in Moscow, after Vladimir Putin greeted crowds of fans in unusual tour of southern city
Graham Russell and agencies
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said the failed Wagner mutiny last weekend has weakened Vladimir Putin’s authority, as the Russian president sought to repair the damage to his standing by meeting military staff at the Kremlin and greeting crowds on a rare public walkabout.
Vladimir Putin makes public appearance in Derbent days after failed coup
Speaking in a wide-ranging, hour-long interview with the ARD broadcaster, Scholz said: “I do believe he is weakened as this shows that the autocratic power structures have cracks in them and he is not as firmly in the saddle as he always asserts.”
Scholz said in Wednesday’s interview he did not want to join in speculation about how long Putin might remain in office, saying the west’s aim in supporting Ukraine was to help it defend itself, not to bring about regime change.
The same day, Putin arrived in the remote southern region of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea, 2,000km from Moscow, and took a public tour, stopping to kiss fans, pose for selfies and shake hands with cheering crowds. He flew to the city of Derbent in the mostly Muslim region, to mark the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha and visit an ancient citadel and historic mosque.
It was an unusual move for a secretive president who one senior security official once described as “pathologically afraid for his life”, requiring his staff to undergo a two-week quarantine during the pandemic. The length of the tables Putin used to greet foreign leaders last year was widely seen as both a power play and a way to socially distance himself for fear of infection.
The Russian president has given a series of public addresses this week in a bid to repair his public standing, and portray Wagner’s march on Moscow as a moment that unified Russia.
Putin’s trip comes amid questions as to the whereabouts of a Russian general who US intelligence reportedly believe had prior knowledge of the uprising led by the Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Gen Sergei Surovikin, who previously led the invasion force in Ukraine, has not been seen in public since Saturday.
Surovikin, who was called a “legendary figure” by Prigozhin upon his appointment, is now the subject of unconfirmed reports that he has been arrested. The well-publicised links between Surovikin and Prigozhin have fuelled rumours that Surovikin may be purged or put under investigation for supporting the mutiny.
Scholz said on Wednesday the Wagner uprising was part of an internal Russian power struggle and the west was not involved in it, echoing comments by US president Joe Biden. Scholz said he spoke on Saturday to the leaders of the US, France, Britain and Poland and “we quickly agreed to stay very quiet. We have nothing to do with the conflict in Russia.” He said German intelligence did not have any prior knowledge of the rebellion.
Asked if at any point on Saturday he had hoped the mutiny spelled the end of Putin’s rule, he said it would have made no sense as it was unclear if what would have come after him would have been better.
Asked about the impact of the mutiny on the Ukraine war, the German chancellor said the pre-condition for successful peace talks was Russia accepting it needed to withdraw its troops from the country. “Whether this has become easier or harder through these events is not really clear,” he said in the interview recorded on Wednesday afternoon.
On the need to continue to help Ukraine, Scholz said: “We must be prepared that it could take a long time.”
With Reuters and Associated Press