Putin’s grip on Russia slips as claims FSB ‘orchestrated’ mutiny emerge

The Wagner Group ‘s failed mutiny was in fact staged by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Express.co.uk has been told. It comes after the death of the group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, an event that many say was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin . One of Prigozhin’s private jets was making its way over Moscow before it crashed just outside the city, the official line being that an explosion occurred onboard. Others say it was shot down by the Russian Armed Forces. His death, along with that of nine others including Wagner co-founder Dmitry Utkin, has opened up yet more questions about the state of Russia and its internal affairs. One historian, who has spent decades studying his country, believes that Prigozhin was fuelled by the FSB in a twist of events that could see Putin ousted by his own men. Memorials paying tribute to Prigozhin have popped up across Russia (Image: GETTY) “Prigozhin and his men were moving towards Moscow but as we know they were still very far away when they stopped, yet Putin left the capital which means he was afraid of someone taking him down,” said Dr Yuri Felshtinsky, author of ‘ Blowing up Ukraine ‘. “When Putin came back he made a statement that it was an attempt to take power. Now, the question is who made this attempt to take power? “I think we know that it wasn’t the army, and the only other force which exists in Russia is the FSB. “From day number one, Prigozhin was the FSB’s project. The Wagner Group was the FSB’s project. This was not a GRU project. “It’s obvious that the conflict was between the FSB and Putin. The only question which we still don’t know the answer to is what the conflict was about.” Putin and Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB, speak in 2010 (Image: GETTY) Little changed after Wagner’s failed mutiny on June 23 and 24. But one glaring shift in policy, according to Dr Felshtinsky, was Russia ‘s stepping back from its nuclear rhetoric. Before this, commentators often went on Russian television and showed grand simulations of how the country could pummel the UK and Europe with nuclear missiles. Little has been said about this since, and Dr Felshtinsky said this is likely a decision taken by the FSB “because they believe something must change in the approach to the war”. “Does the FSB want to escalate the war? Does it want to de-escalate the war? We just don’t know right now. But they are in charge.” Putin has a long history with Russia ‘s security services, having been a KGB agent – the predecessor to the FSB – during Soviet times. A young Putin as a KGB agent; he served as an officer for 16 years (Image: Kremlin.ru) By 1998, he had moved up the career ladder and become Director of the FSB, and within a year was Russia ‘s new Prime Minister – months later moving into the role of President. Dr Felshtinsky believes that the FSB is now likely eyeing up Russia’s next president ahead of the 2024 elections. Putin has not yet declared any intentions to run for re-election despite some of his allies suggesting that he will win the ballot with more than 90 percent of the vote. “The entire process of the Russian Presidential election and the election computer which calculates the vote is by law controlled by the FSB,” Dr Felshtinsky said. “In 2021, Russia passed a law allowing remote voting. It might be good in most countries but not for Russia : it will lead to a situation where the FSB will have the ability to add votes of the people who didn’t come to vote in order to choose their favourite candidate. “My point is that it will be the FSB who choose the next president of Russia .” He said the security service may look to establish a tradition in which FSB top brass are hand-picked for the leader role. Who this may be is currently uncertain, but if his theory is anything to go by, Nikolai Patrushev , Head of the Security Council, or Alexander Bortinkov , the current FSB Chief, are the frontrunners.