During an interview on Saturday with host Eric Shawn on Fox News, guest Rebekah Koffler asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin, in collaboration with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, orchestrated the recent armed coup as a “classic false flag” operation.
In the past 24 hours, Russia has witnessed upheaval within its military and political establishment as Prigozhin led his paramilitary group from Ukraine into Russia, capturing two cities and advancing toward Moscow. However, in a surprising twist, Prigozhin reportedly called off the armed coup following negotiations with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.
This rebellion posed the most significant existential threat to Putin’s regime since he assumed power in Russia more than two decades ago.
During a lengthy nine-minute monologue on Fox News, intelligence analyst Koffler made the claim that Putin masterminded the coup in order to enhance his political influence in Russia.
In her statement to the cable news host, Koffler described the operation as a classic false flag orchestrated by Putin and Prigozhin. She emphasized Prigozhin’s intelligence, highlighting his transformation from a former convict to a successful entrepreneur who owned a multimillion-dollar catering business serving the Kremlin, including Putin himself.
Koffler pointed out the stark contrast in manpower between the Wagner group, consisting of 50,000 individuals in Ukraine, and Putin’s National Guard, established in 2016 to suppress social unrest, which boasts an enrollment of 340,000 personnel. She further highlighted that the movements of the Wagner forces were being meticulously monitored by the Russian security service at every moment.
“So once again, what has transpired in the past few hours? Suddenly, he decides to reverse his troops and strike a deal? No, this is all carefully orchestrated,” she asserted. The analyst then seemed to suggest that Putin utilized the rebellion as a means to bolster military recruitment efforts.
“Putin wants us to believe that he is vulnerable, that an ongoing military uprising poses a threat,” Koffler asserted. “Therefore, this serves as a pretext to declare martial law, which Putin has already done. Today, he introduced an amendment stating that anyone violating martial law will face 30-day imprisonment. Another intriguing and telling aspect is that Putin has just authorized the enlistment of individuals with criminal records into the military.”
“This serves as a justification for the further mobilization of Russian forces, sending them into the Ukrainian battleground. It is also a way to convey to President Biden that Russia is not a menace. Rather, Russia is engrossed in its own internal turmoil. However, this is all a classic diversion, orchestrated by Putin,” she concluded.
“In light of your description, it’s akin to playing a game of three-dimensional chess. It’s level of strategic thinking that surpasses conventional approaches,” Shawn responded to Koffler.
Towards the conclusion of the interview, Koffler offered her prediction that Putin would retain his position of power and may even exploit the coup to eliminate Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
“In the interim, Putin is likely to gather momentum, increase personnel mobilization, and intensify his offensive in Ukraine,” she concluded.
Source: Fox News
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