Rebelous Wagner mercenaries turn on Putin.

The Attempted Coup in Russia
Sgt. Dan McKnight / Bring Our Troops Home

(June 26, 2023) — Be careful what you wish for.

You’re probably familiar with neocon writers Jeffrey Goldberg and Anne Applebaum. They’re both comfortably perched at The Atlantic, and have supported every US military intervention (and then some!) of the past 25 years.

Both are Ukraine maximalists, pushing for a direct war between the United States and NATO and Russia. Under a shared byline two months ago, they wrote in support of regime change in Moscow:
“Yet even the worst successor imaginable, even the bloodiest general or most rabid propagandist, will immediately be preferable to Putin, because he will be weaker than Putin.”

This past weekend, they almost got what they wanted good and hard.

That’s because Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, attempted a coup to overthrow Vladimir Putin.

A petty crook who spend years in the Soviet prison system, after the fall of the USSR Prigozhin became involved in the catering industry, cozied up to the Kremlin, and became a Putin confidant going back many years.

Despite having no military background, he founded the Wagner Group, a private security force composed of Russian military veterans on private contract numbering in the tens of thousands. They’re the ones primarily responsible for the Russian victory in the Battle of Bakmut.

He’s temperamental, reckless, inexperienced, and extremely militaristic. His primary criticism of the Russian military command is that they’re not committing enough firepower to the war in Ukraine.

“Yep, this is our guy,” Goldberg, Applebaum, and their War Party compatriots told themselves.

These are not serious people. And Prigozhin is not my choice to be in charge of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal. 

After doing an about face at the Ukrainian front line, the Wager Group marched a few miles into the Russian interior, shooting down military helicopters and announcing they would seize the capital and throw out the bums who were mismanaging the war in Ukraine. Putin declared them traitors involved in an armed rebellion, and an overwhelming display of force led them to collectively stand down in less than 24 hours.

The average Wagner Group soldier will be given amnesty and returned to the front (now under direct control of the Russia military) and Yevgeny Prigozhin is getting banished to Belarus (and an uncertain future…)

Here’s the lesson: we don’t always get to choose the foreign leaders we deal with. That’s the reality of international relations.  And often the devil you know is the better alternative to the devil you don’t.

Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia for over 23 years. He’s level-headed instead of erratic, and isn’t shy about announcing his goals or redlines.

For years he referred to the United States as “my American partner,”before the complete deterioration of the relationship due to NATO expansion and interference in the Russian near abroad.

Is Putin a good guy? No. But he’ll be easier to find a measured peace with than any extreme far-right Russian nationalist that’s likely to replace him.

That’s what you and I understand, and the zealots in the media never will. That’s because people like us have to actually fight these wars, and journalists like Goldberg and Applebaum never have skin in the game to sacrifice for their bad ideas.

They’ll never abandon their regime change desires, their unquenchable thirst to dictate the lives of every person in every corner of the world.

I’m here to put a stop to this nonsensical foreign policy and defeat the War Party in Washington DC.

When you join our supporters’ group, the Ten Seven Club, you’re committing to help me on that mission. The Ten Seven Club is dedicated to the date that America was cast into a perpetual and endless state of war in Afghanistan (10/7/2001) by a self-castrated political body…The United States Congress. Our mission is to unite Veterans of the Global War on Terror and their civilian allies who are dedicated to ending American involvement in our endless wars in the Middle East and bringing our troops home.

Now remember: armed uprisings against a government are always a bad idea, and should never be attempted under any circumstances.

Our organization sustains itself on your financial contributions, and the 2024 legislative season is right around the corner. In the meantime, my team and I are going to continue to advocate for America First, and work 24 hours a day to keep our great country out of Ukraine and out of World War III.

Sgt. Dan McKnight is the Chairman of Bring Our Troops Home 

BringOurTroopsHome.US is an organization composed of veterans of the Global War on Terror and their civilian allies who are dedicated to ending American involvement in our endless wars in the Middle East and bringing our troops home.
We insist that the Constitution of the United States be respected and enforced, requiring a formal declaration of war by Congress before US military forces are deployed into combat overseas. And we are committed to returning to a foreign policy befitting a limited government republic, one that puts “America First.”
To achieve these goals, BringOurTroopsHome.US will utilize public education, political action, and legislation, including passing “Defend the Guard” bills in state houses across the country.