UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 517 - JULY 23, 2023

The Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his continuing concern about the potential threat posed to him by the Wagner Group and Yevgeny Prigozhin during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in St. Petersburg.

During his meeting with Lukashenko on July 23, Putin made several significant symbolic gestures indicating that he intends to demonstrate his power and confidence in his dominant position over the faction allied with Prigozhin in St. Petersburg. Putin took Lukashenko to visit Kronstadt in St. Petersburg - the historically significant island fortress where Russian soldiers and sailors carried out a famous unsuccessful anti-Bolshevik uprising in early 1921, which was eventually suppressed by the Soviet government. Putin and Lukashenko visited Kronstadt together with the governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Beglov, and the younger daughter of the Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Ksenia Shoigu.

Both Beglov and Shoigu are personal enemies of Prigozhin, and Putin's public meeting with Beglov, Shoigu's daughter, and Lukashenko on the historic grounds of the failed Kronstadt uprising is likely a sign that Putin and his loyal cadres have defeated Prigozhin's armed uprising and his followers in St. Petersburg. In Kronstadt, Putin also made an unusual effort to take photos with a large number of Russian citizens, including children, likely seeking to present himself as a popular and beloved leader by the Russian people. These symbolic gestures suggest that Putin is concerned about his perceived popularity, the security of his regime, and the multitude of factions competing for power in the upper ranks of the Russian government.

In the night from July 22 to July 23, Russian forces carried out another series of missile strikes on the port infrastructure and city center of Odesa, causing heavy damage to civilian areas.

The full Russian Offensive Update 517 is available directly from UNDERSTANDING WAR.

UNDERSTANDING WAR