Global Courant
Counter-terrorism restrictions will be lifted in Moscow on Monday after a short-lived uprising in Russia.
Last weekend, a former ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin led a public uprising, the first of its kind in the country since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Yevgeny Prigozhin’s defiance of Putin has created uncertainty and questions about the Russian president’s grip on the war in Ukraine.
“This is a situation that is very much in flux,” Alexander Lanoszka, an assistant professor of international relations at the University of Waterloo, told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday.
Lansoszka said there is now “uncertainty” in the country, despite a deal struck to defuse the situation, forcing the Wagner troop leader into exile in Belarus.
“That deal included precautionary security guarantees for Prigozhin himself and the fighters associated with him,” Lansoszka said. “But the criminal case against them has not stopped. There is still uncertainty about Prigozhin’s whereabouts.”
During the demonstration, soldiers belonging to the Wagner Group, a private Russian military company, left Ukraine to take a southern Russian town and march towards Moscow. The troops turned after less than 24 hours on Saturday. The situation shows potential factions within Russia, Lansoszka said.
“I think most people are really confused about what’s going on precisely because the march on Moscow had come to an abrupt end,” he said. “What we do know is that there is no turning back. This is a situation that cannot be ignored.”
According to Lansoszka, Putin could appear “weak” by allowing the situation to develop.
“He (Putin) seemed to have lost control, even though he might have won this particular phase of the crisis,” he said.
Morale among Russian troops could suffer as a result, Lansoszka said, due to the fighting between Wagner group forces and Russian forces.
“This is a very unstable situation. I don’t think it’s quite over yet,” said Lansoszka.
Click on the video at the top of this article to watch the full interview.
