U.S. intelligence analysts expected that the founder of the ” Wagner” Eugene Prigozhin will meet greater resistance, and the consequences of his actions will be more tragic than it turned out. CNN writes about it, citing a source.
“I know for a fact that we assumed it would be much more violent and bloody,” he said.
The network’s source added that the swift conclusion of the agreement with Prigozhin had caused surprise in Washington.
According to The New York Times, US intelligence learned of Prigozhin’s plans in advance. A few days before his actions, intelligence agencies briefed the White House and the Pentagon, and, after receiving additional information, briefed the congressional leaders.
Washington received information about the PMC’s preparations for the insurgency as early as mid-June, wrote The Washington Post. However, U.S. intelligence did not know the exact nature of Prigozhin’s plot and the dates he chose. One of the newspaper’s sources clarified that over the past two weeks, authorities had expressed “high concern” about what might happen after the mutiny.
The U.S. did not declassify the information for fear Moscow would accuse it of planning a coup, sources previously told CNN. Washington “was careful not to underestimate how [Russian President Vladimir] Putin might use as a weapon any alleged Western involvement in escalating the crisis.” According to CNN, the PMC’s actions came as a surprise to Washington, as “everything happened very quickly”.
NATO has established “informal contact” with the Russian Defence Ministry over fears of a “nuclear incident” over Prigozhin’s actions, La Repubblica reported, citing sources. According to it, NATO has “focused attention” on more than 1,400 Russian nuclear warheads ready for immediate use. Even after the Wagner situation was resolved peacefully, “the alarm has not ceased”.
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