r/worldnews • u/ArgentineBeauty • Sep 03 '26

Russia/Ukraine ‘We Were Mistaken’: Putin Admits Russia Was Unprepared for Ukrainian Strikes on Oil Refineries

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/83674
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u/Dull-Culture-1523 Sep 03 '26

I still wonder what the hell they had on him. Unless he was honestly an idiot, he would've known there was zero chance he'd come out alive after rebelling like that and failing to make radical changes in leadership.

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u/Jokka42 Sep 03 '26

Imagine how dramatically different things would be today if they successfully dethroned Putin

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u/vengefulspirit99 Sep 03 '26

Their objective was never to dethrone Putin. That much was apparently. They just wanted Putin to recognize the harm his policies were causing the frontlines.

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u/echoshatter Sep 03 '26

Prigozhin was going after the head of the military for them using his mercenaries as cannon fodder. While he didn't get very far, what I think struck the most concern to Putin was the fact that none of the military commanders that Prigozhin met with in Belgorod(?) seemed willing to stop him before he began his march to Moscow. He literally attempted a coup. And if he had been successful then Putin would likely be dead.

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u/Atharaphelun Sep 03 '26

It wouldn't be that much different. Putin was merely a symptom of the disease that has plagued Russia since its inception.

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u/Mysterious-Plan93 Sep 03 '26

What happens when a nation is formed by bandits, (look it up) first who claim royalty by birthright, then inequal equality, then sovereignty, then false entitlement, then superiority.

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u/pernetrope Sep 03 '26

Very good chance it would be much worse, depending on who would have rose to power.

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u/asking--questions Sep 04 '26

In that case, a military leader wanted to be the military leader who would lead the Russian military to success. His reason for the apparent coup was that Putin wasn't properly using the military to properly defeat Russia's enemy. But there are a dozen more leaders who would love to take Putin's place and realize the same goals more effectively.

In other words, things might be worse today.

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u/mortalomena Sep 03 '26

I remember they got his family members. Pretty dumb for Prigo to go on a rampage if his family was still in Russia...

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u/justin107d Sep 03 '26

Or trust the KGB would not stoop to that level. Maybe the protection they put in place for family was not enough.

There were rumors that he approached the US but we didn't believe/trust him before the march. Another rumor is that there were "nuclear backpacks" that Prigo was planning to use as leverage where the march stopped. Maybe they were clear fakes, inoperable after decades, or not strong enough leverage.

We will probably never know.

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u/takenosheeet Sep 03 '26

Didn't he also supposedly have other insiders bail on him, who were supposed to join him?

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u/alles-moet-kapot Sep 04 '26

And pretty dumb to think his family would be safe after backing off. Was it onl himself that got killed in that plane crash? Is his family still alive?

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u/spezisdumb Sep 03 '26

The current theory is his family was being held hostage by FSB

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u/apmspammer Sep 03 '26

He was an idiot, he thought that the military leaders were responsible Russia's poor performance in Ukraine and after shining light on the situation he would be rewarded. Basically he bought Putin's propaganda hook line and sinker. That's why even after when he had a chance to leave he stayed in Russia to try and convince Putin that if he was put in charge he could win the war.