Appearing on MSNBC on Saturday morning after a reported rebellion was launched against Russian President Vladimir Putin by Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, the executive editor of Defense One claimed we could be watching the beginning of a civil war.
Speaking with host Jonathan Capehart, Kevin Baron predicted what happens in the next 24 hours could have huge implications for how long-running the revolt will last and where it will go.
"It already is internal conflict now," Baron began. "This is a civil war in the making, or at least an uprising, a coup. There's no honor among thieves, right? And Prigozhin for years has been the biggest thug of all in Russia."
"Don't forget, he is a mercenary of mercenaries with an army that is committed atrocities across continents, and so Putin has long been embedded with him and relied on him purposefully and fully to wage the war in Ukraine," he continued. "Oddly enough, Prigozhin has been complaining for a long time about not getting what he needs, neither does the Russian military. The [Ukraine] war has exposed how bad the military is from the weapons that they have to the stockpiles they have."
"And so you have already it pretty bad guy complaining that he's not getting what he needs, not getting what he wants, making a power play, and you already have — whether he had intended overthrow Putin or not Putin from the very beginning, his response has been kill Prigozhin, kill Wagner. stop this group from coming."
"Now you have the battle of wills between the Russian armed forces and the mercenaries," he added.
Watch below or at the link.
MSNBC 06 24 2023 08 04 34youtu.be
