The proverbial plot thickens, as former FBI agent Peter Strzok takes a sarcastic jab at Donald Trump on Friday. This comes amidst reports of escalating conflict between a Russian mercenary army and Russia’s military force. Strzok seemingly “misses” the strategic vision and the calm, mature handling of such crises by Trump and his former national security advisor, Mike Flynn. That’s right, folks, you can almost see Strzok’s tongue firmly planted in his cheek as he retweets a video purporting to show armored vehicles cruising Moscow’s streets. The original tweet came from Dmitri Alperovitch, a geopolitical and national security expert.
Alperovitch’s tweet disclosed that the FSB, Russia’s principal security agency, has urged Wagner, the mercenary group, to dismiss the alleged criminal orders of its leader, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, and assist in his capture. More intrigue unfurls as multiple Russian generals produce videos advocating the same stance.
The international chess game gets even more interesting as we delve into the juicy tidbit provided by The New York Times, stating that Prigozhin, the puppet master of the infamous Wagner group, finds himself accused by Russian military generals of plotting a coup against none other than President Vladimir Putin. This accusation comes amidst an investigation into Prigozhin for allegedly “organizing an armed rebellion.”
This conflict poses the most significant threat to Putin’s rule since he initiated his invasion of Ukraine 16 months prior. Mick Mulroy, a retired C.I.A. officer, conveyed to The Times that Prigozhin presents “a serious challenge” to Putin, going so far as to suggest that the Russian military might need to divert their attention from the Ukrainian counteroffensive towards a more personal fight for “self-preservation” within the Russian government.
According to Mulroy, “Even if this attempted coup fails, it emphatically makes the point that those closest to this war know it was a terrible mistake.”
With political power plays, coup attempts, and ex-FBI agents poking fun at past leaders, the current Russian crisis reads like a Hollywood script. As readers of The Young Turks, we’re here to challenge the status quo and dissect the drama unfolding on the world’s stage. After all, aren’t politics just a high-stakes version of reality TV?
