Putin ready to unleash Kremlin purge after Wagner mutiny leaves soldiers 'demoralised'

A “paranoid” Vladimir Putin is toying with the start of hellish purge on higher government after Wagner’s mutinous rebellion, a former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)| officer tells Daily Express US.

The Wagner group seized Russian military headquarters on Saturday after submitting to the exile agreement struck between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Kremlin and Wagner's Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Prigozhin’s criticisms of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's strategy were not kept quiet, but on Friday his accusation of Shoigu ordering a missile strike on Wagner camps, killing “a huge number of our comrades”, crossed a line, reports The Daily Express US.

The revolt of Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenaries shone a light on the cracks forming in the Russian government’s forces as they advanced hundreds of kilometres towards Moscow, passing through Rostov-on-Don.

With perceptions, both home and abroad, of Putin now overcast with feebleness, suspicion that the new agreement between Putin and Prigozhin has a more sinister undertone seems justified, former DIA intelligence officer Matt Shoemaker explains.

READ MORE: Putin could launch 'Stalin-style' purge to cling onto power after coup attempt

Shoemaker warns of Putin’s purge "at the higher levels of government" in the coming weeks, while "demoralised" soldiers on the frontline in Ukraine also begin to lose faith in their leader.

He said: "The agreement itself and the circumstances surrounding it do not make much sense to outside observers. However, behind the scenes, Prigozhin has been angling to be Putin's successor for months."

To uncover co-conspirators within his inner circle, Putin’s next moves could be unpredictable as he attempts to stifle Prigozhin's political ambitions as he is now thought to be a potential traitor and threat to the regime.

Shoemaker said: "Russia also has a long history of backstabbing and double-crossing. Remember just a few months ago news reports that Prigozhin contacted Ukrainian officials to try and secretly hand over the location of Russian troop movements in exchange for taking control of Bakhmut.”

Putin's public address after the mutiny forebodes that those who marched towards Moscow will soon face the consequences, and Shoemaker questions whether the Prigozhin-Putin agreement will hold for much longer.

In a televised speech to the nation, Putin labelled the rebellion a “betrayal” and “treason" and vowed to punish those involved.

"Another element to consider is the long history of paranoia among Russian officials," Shoemaker said.

"This rebellion has shown Putin that he does not know who he can trust or how loyal even his closest people are to him.

"It is remarkable that armoured columns commanded by what Putin called a traitor were able to make their way 130 miles from Moscow in under 24 hours despite the combined efforts of the Russian military, the Russian national guard, and the FSB.

"What I'll be looking for over the next few days and weeks is if there is a purge within the Russian Government, especially at the higher levels of Government. If it's one thing Russia is unfortunately used to, it's purges."

The former officer also reminded the Express that while these tensions simmer away on Russian soil, activity in Ukraine should not go unmonitored in the coming weeks.

Late on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the march exposed weakness in the Kremlin and “showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs” that it is easy to capture Russian cities “and, probably, arsenals”.