Amid all the drama on the ground in Russia this weekend, there was also action in the skies, and it could be of great significance for Vladimir Putin.
Aircraft tracking applications showed the departure from Moscow of many private jets – some registered to government officials – heading to St. Petersburg and cities in the Urals.
These flights do not necessarily signify a collapse of power structures in Russia, as some have suggested, but they could indicate the evacuation of senior officials and their families from areas of potential unrest, in this case, the capital itself.
As a civil war appears be erupting in Russia, flight radars are rather interesting.
Many private jets in the Moscow area are flying with no set destination.
It seems like Russia’s elite think this is the start of something huge.
Russia’s elite may be fleeing. pic.twitter.com/bYjPQ7uG7y
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) June 24, 2023
Prigozhin’s mutiny
Whatever else, the magnitude of the challenges faced by Putin has grown. It has been rising ever since Yevgeny Prigozhin – who runs the Russian-backed mercenary group Wagner – spoke out against the Ministry of Defence, accusing it of bombing his troops' positions in Ukraine.
For much of this weekend, it looked like nothing less than an open mutiny.
And so the position of Wagner and Prigozhin within the balance of power in Russia has moved from an academic debate to an existential challenge.