‘Putin will never forgive’: Ex-CNN Moscow bureau chief warns Wagner army chief

Amid the Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's vow to topple the military leadership in Moscow over its handling of the war and subsequent deal to halt the revolt, former CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty said that even though Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Prigozhin to go to Belarus, but he "doesn't forgive traitors."

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In an interview to US-based news channel CNN on Saturday, Dougherty said, "Even though Putin has told Prigozhin to go to Belarus, according to the Kremlin, the Wagner chief remains a 'traitor'."

Calling the ongoing situation a ‘real dilemma’, she said that Putin doesn't forgive traitors and Prigozhin is a threat, the report added.

"I think Putin will never ever forgive that. I think it is a real dilemma because as long as Prigozhin is acting the way he does and has some type of support, he is a threat. Regardless of where he is," she added.

Read here: Wagner Group vows to topple Russian military leadership. Who are they?

Meanwhile Dougherty said the turmoil that transpired on the streets of Rostov did not make Putin look like the strongman leader he has positioned himself to be. "Putin himself looks really weak. If I were Putin, I would be worried about those people on the streets of Rostov cheering the Wagner people as they leave," she said.

She further asked why Russians are cheering people who are trying to topple the leadership, while also saying that means they maybe support them or might be like them. "Whatever it is, it is really bad news for Putin."

Prigozhin on Saturday vowed to "go to the end" to topple the Russian military leadership in the country. However, he took a U-turn and returned to their base camps from Russia's Rostov-on-Don under a deal brokered by Belarus which ensured Russia dropped charges against Wagner's chief, for armed mutiny.

Read here: Russia coup: Man continues to clean street while armed convoy streams in Rostov

The criminal case that had begun against Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped and the fighters who had taken part in the coup would not face any action, in recognition of their previous service to Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed on Saturday.

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