In the aftermath of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mini-mutiny, prominent Russian state TV propagandists were left grasping at straws—desperately trying to temper their outrage at what had happened in order to justify the Kremlin’s decision to allow the Wagner boss and his mercenaries to escape accountability.
Prigozhin’s intended march on Moscow was signaled as early as May, when he hinted at the inevitable uprising during his media blitz, which seamlessly combined self-aggrandizement with endless grievances against Russia’s military leadership.
Despite the writing on the wall, the short-lived uprising by the Wagner Group—officially known as PMC Wagner—caught everyone by surprise. Decorated state TV host Vladimir Solovyov was shocked and dismayed at the dismal state of the country’s preparedness that allowed Prigozhin’s forces to roll through the land unimpeded. Solovyov seemed caught between a rock and a hard place, having to justify Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to let Prigozhin and Wagner walk free, despite having advocated for the death penalty for less grievous offenses.
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During the first post-mutiny broadcast of Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, propagandists focused on praising Putin’s infinite wisdom for ending the revolt in a speedy manner. The head of RT, Margarita Simonyan, asserted: “There is nothing more frightening in the world than civil war.” This outlook unwittingly highlighted frequent discussions on Russian state media hoping for a civil war in other countries—namely the United States.
Simonyan expressed her relief at the quick resolution of the ordeal and added: “There are many discussions right now: how can this be? They opened a criminal case and then let them go! [Prigozhin] left for Belarus. This is a mockery of legal norms! Let me remind you that legal provisions are not like Christ’s commandments or the law of Moses. Legal norms are written by people to protect the order and stability in a country. There can be extraordinary, critical circumstances when legal norms stop to function... then these legal norms are set aside. They were written without accounting for the possibility of this kind of a situation.”
Simonyan surmised: “It was a choice between the terrible and the horrendous... There is nothing more frightening than civil strife, which is incomparably more significant than a violation of some legal norms.” Setting aside his daily demands for nuclear strikes and executions, Solovyov pompously added: “On this day, we found out a lot about our own country. We turned out to be much wiser than anyone might have thought... Yesterday, our leadership demonstrated strength and wisdom. Most importantly, it demonstrated strength without a bloodlust.”
But State Duma member Andrey Gurulyov, retired deputy Commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District, was too flabbergasted about Prigozhin’s exploits to go along with the propaganda narrative. After letting out a long, exasperated sigh, Gurulyov said: “I am firmly convinced that during wartime, traitors have to be destroyed! Today, no matter who says what, whatever fairy tales they are telling, a bullet to the forehead is the sole salvation for Prigozhin and [Dmitry] Utkin. They know me! They know that I stand behind my every word. There is no other option!” (Utkin is alleged to be the co-founder of the Wagner group.)
Aside from blasting the decision that provided immunity for the organizers and the participants of the intended coup, Gurulyov expressed his outrage that it was fomented and carried out without being detected beforehand and prevented. He said, “I totally don’t understand why it even happened, where are those agencies that should have known about this in advance? It should have been prevented, it should have been stopped when it was underway!”
Outraged that the Wagner Group was better equipped than Russia’s Armed Forces or its National Guard, Gurulyov exclaimed: “How much longer are we going to crowdfund every loaf of bread, every quadcopter and all the rest? It’s enough already! When society came together to do this, it allowed us to survive at that point in time, because we had nothing! Now things are different.”
Contradicting Putin’s decision, Gurulyov reiterated: “Treason cannot be forgiven under any circumstances! It simply can’t be forgiven, regardless of any past achievements! I will repeat it once again: the only way out for these friends is to kill themselves before [a] bullet finds them! There are no other options for traitors.”
Lieutenant-General Evgeny Buzhinsky added: “For me, what happened yesterday was completely surreal.” Like Gurulyov, he was bothered by the promise of impunity. Referring to reports that Wagner fighters shot down several military helicopters and a plane, Buzhinsky stressed: “Someone has to be held accountable for the deaths of pilots who have perished.”
Instead of showcasing the strength and wisdom of Putin’s regime, Solovyov and his fellow propagandists highlighted its fatal shortcomings and the discontent that is brewing not only within their ranks, but in society at large. A concern that currently permeates the tightly-controlled state media is that their country, which is waging a genocidal war of conquest against its neighbor, is woefully unprepared to withstand an internal rebellion or an invasion from abroad—and no amount of propaganda can cover that up.
