Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, is allegedly fearful of reprisal from the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization, following their threat of a coup against his regime, as disclosed by sources to RadarOnline.com.
The group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, attempted to downplay the situation, branding the impending revolt as a "march for justice" rather than an outright mutiny. Amid the developing turbulence, Putin, aged 70, reportedly retreated to his secluded forest palace, surrounded by several decoys.
A military insider, part of Putin's inner circle, revealed that the Russian leader is perturbed by recent events. "Putin has been suffering from illness like Parkinson’s and has always been paranoid, but now he is really on the run," the source declared.
The insider further elucidated that Putin fears a dire punishment akin to those meted out by Prigozhin's ruthless forces to captured Russian soldiers. "He is scared the mercenaries he hired to butcher Ukrainians are going to do the same to him and cut off his testicles," they said, outlining a grim potential end for the president.
The discord escalated when Prigozhin, via a revealing Telegram video, blamed the Russian military for a deadly assault on his base camp. The video showed the once bustling camp now in ruins, presumably from an aerial bombardment.
This isn't the first instance of Prigozhin publicly criticizing Russia's Defense Ministry and higher command, whom he believes misled Putin into the Ukraine conflict over a year ago.
Despite claiming his march to Moscow wouldn't disrupt Russia's activities in Ukraine - and subsequently cancelling the march, thereby averting a potential civil war - Prigozhin is widely regarded as a marked man.
Putin branded the Wagner Group leader as a "mutineer," and rumors suggest the Kremlin initiated an inquiry into his actions. Prigozhin's future appears uncertain, particularly given the fate of previous critics who expressed dissatisfaction with Putin's rule and the Ukraine conflict.