Russian army officers and security officials are abandoning Vladimir Putin and joining the side of the rebels in ever-increasing numbers, according to the commander of the Freedom Legion. Last Saturday the Putin regime was rocked to its core after one of the Russian President’s closest allies, Yevgeny Prigozhin, launched an armed revolt that came within a whisker of toppling the Kremlin boss and putting an end to his 23-year reign. The Russian President along with his panicking elites fled the capital en masse before the Wagner boss appeared to get cold feet at the 11th hour, calling off his mutinous troops as they bore down on Moscow.
Throughout last week, a chastened Putin has tried to reassert his grip on power, sending Prigozhin into exile in Belarus and reportedly arresting a key Russian general close to the Wagner boss.
Kremlin sources said that General Sergey Surovikin, a top army commander and reportedly a secret VIP member of Wagner, had been detained for questioning over possible involvement in the revolt.
In a series of carefully staged TV appearances, Putin claimed that the army and public had rallied to defeat the revolt and prevent Russia descending into civil war.
However, events on the ground seemed to contradict the Russian president’s narrative and version of reality.
Wagner units were able to seize Rostov-on-Don, a city of over a million inhabitants and home to the command of the Russian army’s Southern Military District, without a single shot being fired in anger.
They also raced north towards Moscow without encountering any serious resistance from Putin’s security services.
The commander of Russian rebels from the Freedom Legion, whose nom de guerre is Caesar, told Express.co.uk that support for Putin among army officers and security officials was collapsing and that he was not surprised by their inaction during the crisis.
He said: “We are talking to army officers and silovoki (security officials) from various departments.
“We are getting replies and they are changing sides. We know the mood is changing in Russia.
“People are tired of the war, of Putin’s regime. They understand that Putin is leading Russia and the whole world into a grave.
“So the number of our supporters (among security elites) is growing all the time.”
The Legion is fighting for Ukraine and towards the end of May was involved in daring cross-border raids into the Belgorod region along with units from the Russian Volunteer Corps.
It currently numbers four battalions and has seen a huge surge in volunteers since the May attacks.
The rebel ranks are currently made up of three distinct groups. The first and most numerous is comprised of former Russian soldiers, who have Ukrainian relatives and for whom the invasion was one step too far.
The second group is primarily made up of Russians who were living in Ukraine at the time hostilities began.
The third and probably smallest category are anti-Putin activists who were in Russia or living elsewhere in Europe when the Kremlin boss ordered his troops into Ukraine.
Caesar fled his home town of Saint Petersburg with his family after last February’s invasion. After resettling his family in a third country, he then travelled to Ukraine to join the fight against Putin.
He said: “I understood almost 20 years ago that you can only change Putin’s system through armed resistance.
“When Putin attacked Ukraine, I couldn’t just sit and do nothing.
“I am a Christian and have a conscience – I couldn’t just sit there and watch quietly.
“So I decided I would go to defend Ukraine and then return home to liberate my own people.”
He added: “My family, my children when they saw war break out they started crying and were worried that their dad would go to Ukraine.
“I told them not to worry and Ukraine will win. They all support me, and are very proud of me – for which I am very grateful.”
