Tim MakJun 25, 2023
Good morning to readers: Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands, and Moscow, well, Moscow remains in Russia. For you today, a Wagner mercenary weighs in on recent events.
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The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack

A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Compelling human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

Show threadTim MakJun 25, 2023
"The situation between the Russian army and Wagner is tense," acknowledged Sergei Munier, a French-Ukrainian soldier believed to be involved with the Wagner forces.But he didn’t have any more to say about whether he was supportive of his band of mercenaries.
Show threadTim MakJun 25, 2023
But he didn’t have any more to say about whether he was supportive of his band of mercenaries. It was a surprise that he was so vague at such a dramatic time, when loyalties are being questioned and mutinies executed.
http://counteroffensive.news
The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack

A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Compelling human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

Show threadTim MakJun 25, 2023

Munier bragged just days ago in a Facebook post, posing in the destroyed city center of Bakhmut:

"There is no greater honor than walking where Prigozhin (the boss of the Wagner Group) walked."

Show threadTim MakJun 25, 2023

But now that Wagner looked to be overthrowing the Russian military command – radio silence.

The ambiguity reflects a pervasive uncertainty among many Russians right now. Should they throw in their lot with what Putin’s supporters have labeled a coup?

Show threadTim MakJun 25, 2023

Munier is categorical about the situation itself: intense fighting broke out between the mercenary group and the regular Russian army, he wrote in a text, and it is violent. But regarding his position on it, he went silent.

http://counteroffensive.news

The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack

A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Compelling human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

Show threadTim MakJun 25, 2023
From my conversations with him I realized that even though many who support Ukraine are rooting for domestic turmoil in Russia, there is no sense whatsoever in rooting for Wagner. The enemy of your enemy is not your friend.
Show threadFirefighterGeek 

@timkmak

Yevgeny Prigozhin gaining power is not a good outcome.

Putin getting through and emerging victorious is not a good outcome.

No one else we know of currently in a position to seize power presents a good outcome for the rest of the world.

The one possible good outcome, an actual democratization of Russia, isn't really even on the table as a possible outcome right now.

Jun 25, 2023 at 10:39pmWeb