‘Classic False Flag’: Analyst on Fox News Says Putin ‘Orchestrated’ Wagner Coup to Make Biden Think Russia’s No Threat
Fox News guest Rebekah Koffler claimed during an interview with host Eric Shawn on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin worked with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin to stage the recent armed coup as a “classic false flag.”
Over the last 24 hours, chaos has upended the military and political establishment in Russia after Prigozhin marched his paramilitary group from Ukraine into Russia, taking over two cities and marching his men toward Moscow. In a sudden turn of events, however, Prigozhin reportedly called off the armed coup after negotiations with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.
The rebellion represented the largest existential threat to Putin’s regime since he took control of Russia over twenty years ago.
Koffler, an intelligence analyst, claimed during a long-winded nine-minute rant on Fox News that Putin orchestrated the coup to boost his political power in the Russia.
“My intelligence analysis suggests, Eric, that this is a classic false flag operation that’s been orchestrated by Putin and Prigozhin,” Koffler told the cable news host. “Prigozhin is not a stupid man. He’s a highly intelligent formerly convict. He turned his life around from a prisoner to a hot dog stands owner to the owner of a multi-million catering business that served the Kremlin, including Putin himself.”
Koffler notes that the Wagner group 50,000 men in Ukraine while Putin’s National Guard, created in 2016 to put down social unrest, has 340,000 men enlisted into the group and the Wagner forces were being tracked every minute” by the Russian security service.
“So again, what has changed from this in the last few hours? All of a sudden he decided to turn his troops around and made this deal? No, this is all staged,” she added. The analyst then appeared to claim that Putin used the rebellion to boost the mobilizations of recruits for the military.
“Putin wants us to believe that he’s weak, that there’s an ongoing threat of a military insurrection,” Koffler claims. “So this is a pretext to declare martial law, which Putin has already done. He made an amendment today that anybody who is violating the martial law is going to be imprisoned for 30 days. Another very interesting and revealing point is that Putin just authorized that men with a criminal record can join the military.”
“So this is a justification for extra mobilization of the Russian forces to send them to the meat grinder in Ukraine. It is also to demonstrate to President Biden that, no, Russia is not a threat. Russia is actually, you know, involved in its own domestic turmoil. But this is all a classic distraction and classic Putin,” she said.
“What you’re describing is like three dimensional chess. That’s a type of thinking that is just beyond,” Shawn said in response to Koffler.
Near the end of her interview, Koffler predicted that Putin will remain in power and potentially used the coup to get rid of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
“In the meantime, Putin is going to gain momentum, mobilize additional personnel, and re-energize his offensive on Ukraine,” she concluded.
OK WHICH IS IT?
Fox host floats conspiracy theory that either U.S. or NATO is behind attempted Russian rebellion
Ray Hartmann
June 24, 2023,
Fox host Rachel Campos-Duffy (Photo: Screen capture)
Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy tossed out an evidence-free conspiracy theory today that perhaps the U.S., NATO or both were behind the apparent coup unfolding in Russia.
One of Campos-Duffy’s takers was K.T. McFarland, a key aide to scandal-ridden Michael Flynn during the early years of the Trump administration. Campos-Duffy began by saying that she no longer trusted the government on foreign affairs.
“I’m always questioning things. I asked our last guest on this subject, Rebeka Koffler on this topic, if she thought it was possible that we could be behind this attempted coup with the Wagner group, and she said it’s definitely one of the possibilities or NATO.”
McFarlane responded: “I think she’s right that the United States government –whether it’s been actively or behind the scenes – has been very involved in Ukraine Russia all the time.”
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Journalist Ben Smith mused on Twitter, “Fox and Friends host Rachel Campos-Duffy cheerfully floating the theory that Prigozhin is working for the US/NATO.”
That prompted former Rep. Adam Kinzinger to offer this concise analysis.
“No, he isn’t. This is nuts.’
Ray Hartmann is a St. Louis-based journalist with nearly 50 years experience as a publisher, TV show panelist, radio host, daily newspaper reporter and columnist. He founded St. Louis alt weekly, The Riverfront Times, at the age of 24.
Wagner Boss planning coup against Putin? Ex-Russian commander's chilling warning | Report
3 weeks ago
#wagner #putin #igor
Russia’s ex commander Igor Girkin has claimed that Wagner military group chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin is planning a ‘mutiny’ against Kremlin. This comes just days after the Wagner group left from Bakhmut. Watch to know more
Tom Boggioni
June 24, 2023,
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during a ceremony, marking the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, June 22, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
Appearing on MSNBC on Saturday morning after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, launched what appears to be a revolt against Russian President Vladimir Putin, a retired U.S general suggested all eyes should be on how the Russian populace reacts to what could turn into a coup.
Speaking with MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart, (Ret) Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty, the former Deputy Commander of the U.S. European Command, suggested all the elements that could lead to a coup are present as Wagner troops are reportedly moving north and Putin faces the greatest crisis of his life.
"Is what we are watching the beginnings of a coup in Russia?" the MSNBC host prompted.
"I wouldn't say that at this point in time," Twitty carefully replied. "Of course a coup, you don't see the military at this point in time trying to gain control of the seat of power in Russia."
"So Putin still firmly has control of the seat of power there and his administration is firmly in control at this particular point," he added before continuing, "I do see this more as a mutiny and, again, we will see if this thing gets ground swell from two locations. Number one, the Russian civilians. That is what we should be watching for: will the support start to turn in favor of the Wagner Group versus Putin."
"And number two, whether we start to get the groundswell of support from the western military favoring the Wagner Group," he added. "If that starts to happen, then we can start to look and determine whether or not we are in a coup situation here."
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