UK Foreign Sec Claims 'Cracks Emerging' In Russian Support For War

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has been speaking in the House of Commons on the Wagner mutiny in Russia over the weekend. States that regarding Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin, 'Everybody should note that one of Putin's proteges had publicly destroyed his case for the war on Ukraine...The Russian government's lies have been exposed by one of President Putin's henchmen'. Says the mutiny was an “unprecedented challenge to President Putin’s authority and it is clear that cracks are emerging in the Russian support for the war.” Claims that this "Weekend's events show Ukraine, not Russia, has the strategic patience to prevail."

• A number of countries have refrained from commenting directly on the mutiny, especially before halt of the march on 24 June. Instead, many called for both sides to refrain from actions that could harm civilians.
• Western leaders and politicians are likely to seek to push the narrative that Putin is now mortally wounded politically and that his ouster is a matter of 'when' and not 'if'. However, the fact that Wagner's role in the war in Ukraine has been declining rather than escalating of late, limiting its ability to take the reins of gov't. Moreover, the lack of a notable public groundswell in support of the rebels could see Putin's powerful elite backers inclined to stick with the incumbent rather than risking a change that could see them lose power.