Victory Chronicles
-DAY 490

Timothy Snyder: How to understand Yevgeny Prigozhin's march on Moscow and its sudden end? 

Often there are plots without a coup; this seemed like a coup without a plot.  Yet weird as the mercenary chief’s mutiny was, we can draw some conclusions from its course and from its conclusion.

Putin is not popular.  All the opinion polling we have takes place in an environment where his power is seen as more or less inevitable and where answering the question the wrong way seems risky.  But when Putin’s power was lifted, as when the city of Rostov-on-Don was seized by Wagner, no one seemed to mind.  Reacting to Prigozhin’s mutiny, some Russians were euphoric, and most seemed apathetic. What was not to be seen was anyone in any Russian city spontaneously expressing their personal support for Putin, let alone anyone taking any sort of personal risk on behalf of his regime. The euphoria suggests to me that some Russians are ready to be ruled by a different exploitative regime. The apathy indicates that most Russians at this point just take for granted that they will be ruled by the gangster with the most guns, and will just go on with their daily lives regardless of who that gangster happens to be. Read more…

Latest news

• U.S. Officials: Russian General Sergei Surovikin Knew About Mercenary Chief’s Rebellion Plans
• Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte: NATO Summit in Vilnius should send a clear message to Ukraine that its future lies in the Alliance
• US Defense Department: Wagner troops are still inside Ukraine after the weekend mutiny
• Air defense: Lithuania purchases two NASAMS launch systems and will supply them to Ukraine
• Сounteroffensive campaign: Ukraine faces mines and manpower challenges in the offensive’s early weeks

Symbolic number of the Day - 930

Yesterday Ukrainian missile troops and artillery units hit one Russian control center, two Buk anti-aircraft missile systems, and four areas of concentration of enemy manpower, weapons, and military equipment. 930 Russian occupants were eliminated. The enemy also lost 13 armored combat vehicles, 6 artillery systems, one MLRS, one air defense system, 7 tactical UAVs, and 2 vehicles. 

Photo: slovoidilo.ua

War in Pictures

The St. George’s Badge of Honor award ceremony took place in Lviv for the second time. The award has been given posthumously to warriors defending Ukraine’s independence since 2014. This time, the honorary badges were awarded to the families of 26 fallen Ukrainian defenders.

Photo by Ivan Stanislavsky

Video of the Day

The first mechanized battalion of the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade successfully stormed the occupiers’ positions near Kurdyumivka (Donetsk Oblast), reported the Land Forces of Ukraine. As a result of the battle, the enemy battalion was defeated: 35 occupants were killed, and another 40 fled. Several occupants surrendered.

ISW report

Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to present Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin as a corrupt liar to destroy his reputation among Wagner personnel and within Russian society. 

Putin implied on June 27 that “the owner of Concord company” (the Concord company is the parent company of Prigozhin’s catering company) lied about the Wagner Group private military company’s (PMC) independence from the Kremlin and the lack of state compensation for Wagner personnel. For the first time since Wagner’s founding, Putin publicly claimed that the Kremlin “fully funds” and “fully supplies” the Wagner PMC and claimed that the Kremlin made various payments to Wagner personnel and their families from Russia’s federal budget. 

Putin added that “the owner of the Concord Company” received 80 billion rubles (about $936 million) between May 2022 and May 2023 for delivering and catering food to the Russian military and that the Kremlin would investigate whether the company stole anything during its work for the Kremlin. Putin was clearly referring to Prigozhin, who is the owner of the Concord Company Group and previously worked as Putin’s personal caterer. Still, Putin continues to refuse to say Prigozhin’s name.

Putin’s insinuation that the Kremlin will investigate the Concord Company may be preparation to justify the Kremlin’s confiscation of Prigozhin’s assets via corruption charges.

War Heroes

19-year-old Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Kotok died on May 11, 2023, near the village of Ivanivske, Donetsk Oblast. While performing a combat mission, the warrior was fatally wounded by enemy fire from an RPG (handheld anti-tank grenade launcher).

Oleksandr was born in the village of Pershokostiantynivka, Kherson Oblast. He received a secondary education and loved music, jokes, and dancing. He played sports and led an active lifestyle. He always had a positive mindset. From a young age, he grew up a patriot, loved Ukraine very much, and wanted to live in a free country.

During the full-scale Russian invasion, the 18-year-old boy, whose life was just beginning, went to defend his homeland from the invaders. Oleksandr became a warrior of the 24th separate assault battalion “Aidar,” which is part of the 53rd separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He bravely went into battle and believed in victory. He wanted to liberate his native village, where his parents remained, from the occupiers. 

“Oleksandr was an incredible guy! Cheerful, positive, diligent! He loved life very much and had many plans. He faithfully followed orders and showed diligence and initiative in his studies! Sasha loved to joke and dance. I used to call him a dancer because in any situation, he would dance and raise others’ morale! He was a man who charged the whole platoon with his smile! We miss him very much! May he rest in peace! Glory to the Hero!” said Alyona Khusanova, deputy commander of the platoon the deceased served. The young defender was buried in the village of Tynne, Rivne Oblast. Oleksandr is survived by his parents.

Photo: sarny.rayon.in.ua