Vladimir Putin left 'paralysed' by Wagner coup as Russian President's grip on power put on the brink

Intelligence officials across the West believe the Kremlin had several days of advanced warning ahead of Prigozhin’s march on Moscow.

An anonymous European security official told The Washington Post: “Putin had time to take the decision to liquidate [the rebellion] and arrest the organisers.

“Then when it began to happen, there was paralysis on all levels… There was absolute dismay and confusion.

“For a long time, they did not know how to react.”

The Wagner Group launched its coup on June 24 as it preached mutiny against Russia’s military leadership.

However, Prigozhin abandoned his attempt just hours after claiming victory by taking control of the army headquarters in southern Russia’s Rostov-on-Don.

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Despite posing a major threat to the Russian President, the UK Government was accused of being lacklustre in its treatment of the Wagner Group.

MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee warned Ministers have not fixated enough on the mercenaries over the last decade.

The Wagner Group has meanwhile expanded its influence across Syria, Ukraine and Africa.

The Foreign Affairs Committee, which released its report titled ‘Guns for Gold: The Wagner Network exposed’, went as far as to call on the Government to designate the group as a terrorist organisation.

The report criticised the UK’s sanctioning regime against both individuals and entities associated with the Wagner Group and pointed out how Britain was lagging behind both the European Union and United States.

The committee concluded: “For nearly 10 years, the government has under-played and under-estimated the Wagner network’s activities, as well as the security implications of its significant expansion.

“The Government has not told us anything specific that it is doing to challenge the network’s influence and impunity in countries other than Ukraine, beyond sanctions coordination (which itself appears limited).”

However, the UK sanctioned a further 13 individuals and entities associated with the mercenaries in Africa last week.

The move brought British sanctions in line with those imposed in both Washington and Brussels.

Responding to the report, a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: “We have heavily sanctioned the Wagner group, including its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and several key commanders, limiting their travel and freezing their assets.”

They added: “The UK has been one of the leading suppliers of military aid to Ukraine, who have been fighting Wagner forces on the battlefield.

“We continue to work with our allies to expose and counter their destabilising activities around the world.”