The Russian war in Ukraine has just delivered an extraordinary twist.
Sixteen months after its beginning, this conflict remains undecided, with Russians and Ukrainians still not being able to achieve a decisive advantage. But the biggest surprise has just happened.
After being supported by the Kremlin, the paramilitary group Wagner just went into rebellion against Moscow. Wagner claimed on June 24 to have taken control of key sites in Rostov-on-the-Don, a strategic location for the Russian command for its operations in Ukraine.
Wagner's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed that his troops took control of the main Russian military command center for Ukrainian operations, as well as an air base in the city.
President Vladimir Putin called the rebellion treasonous and a "stab in the back of our country and our people."
"Actions that divide our unity are in essence defeatism before one's own people," Putin said in a five-minute address to the nation. He promised "decisive actions" against Prigozhin and his forces.
'Don't Trust Nobody'
The Russian prosecutor general also announced that an investigation had been opened against Prigozhin for actions punishable by up to 20 years of prison. State news agency TASS said that the mercenary leader has been charged.
Many media outlets, including Reuters, have reported combat between the Russian army and the mercenaries of Wagner on the road between Rostov and Moscow. Wagner's troops are taking control of Russian territory as they are advancing toward the capital.
The situation, which is closely followed by heads of state around the world, is also followed by Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, who has played a major role in the Ukrainian war. Musk, through his company SpaceX, supplies Starlink to Ukraine. Starlink, which is a service of access to the internet by satellite, became the only system of communication of the Ukrainian forces on the ground.
The techno king has just given advice to President Putin and Russia.
"Don’t even trust nobody," Musk, the CEO of EV maker Tesla, wrote on June 24 on Twitter.
He accompanied his advice with an image showing a man pointing a gun at his double. On the forehead of the man and his double there is the Russian flag. The text above the image reads: "Trust nobody, not even yourself."
Musk seems to suggest that the Russian situation is a snake pit, where no one can be trusted.
Before his rebellion against Putin, Wagner was an important component for the Kremlin war in Ukraine.
It was this mercenary force that led the recent assaults on the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Prigozhin, who recruited his men from prisons, is considered the be the symbol of Russia at war. He and his paramilitary Wagner Group first emerged in 2014, during the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region by Russia.
But in recent months, Prigozhin has attacked Russian military leadership, accusing the generals of incompetence. He also criticized them for not supplying enough weapons to his men and for ignoring the problems of the soldiers.
The situation remains unclear on the ground. In an audio message, Prigozhin, a longtime Putin ally, rejected the accusation of treason and claimed that his forces are "patriots of our motherland."
"We're blocking the city of Rostov and going to Moscow," he said in a video on June 24, according to The New York Times.
