By: David Speigelberg

Residents of the largest Russian-speaking community in New York, located in Brighton Beach, initially praised the attempted overthrow of Vladimir Putin’s regime. However, their enthusiasm turned to agitation when the mercenary group known as the Wagner Group suddenly called off its advance on Moscow.

The NY Post spoke to many Russians in NY to see how the large community feels about the current events.

Janet Pribysh, a Brighton Beach resident, expressed disappointment at the halt of the advance and remarked that it would have been better if the coup had continued. She referred to the armed group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, labeling both Putin and Prigozhin as criminals.

Igor Cherny, who arrived in Brighton Beach from Odessa, Ukraine, three decades ago, described Putin and Prigozhin as criminals and bandits engaged in political games. He expressed a cynical view of the situation, stating that first Putin backed down, followed by Prigozhin.

Mila Styagina, another Brighton Beach resident originally from Odessa, hoped that the coup attempt would at least bring attention to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and lead to its end. She also called for support from the United States in helping Ukraine.

Earlier, before the order to halt the coup, many residents of Brighton Beach had celebrated the reports of the armed group’s actions. They saw it as a long-awaited development and an opportunity to rid Russia of Putin’s regime. Gennady Kaverin, who left Kyiv for the United States in 1996, referred to Russia as the cruelest and top aggressor in the world. Sofia Kotlyarenko, an 85-year-old Ukrainian resident, expressed satisfaction at the coup attempt, citing the mistreatment of people and children by the Putin regime.

Vasily Gogol, who moved from Ukraine to Brighton Beach 27 years ago, saw the attack as retaliation against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Sergei Artemyev, originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, felt that Putin had crossed a line and expressed concern for the people who would suffer as a result.

Aleksey Efremov, who recently moved to Brighton Beach from Chelyabinsk, Russia, mentioned that her friends in Russia were scared and wanted to join her in the United States to escape the chaos. The situation created uncertainty and fear among the residents, leaving them with many unanswered questions and a lack of trust in politicians.

Overall, the initial support for the coup attempt in Brighton Beach gradually turned into disappointment and agitation when the advance on Moscow was called off. The residents expressed their dissatisfaction with both Putin and Prigozhin while hoping for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

Meanwhile AP reported: Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said he had recruited 50,000 convicts for Ukraine, an estimate also made by Olga Romanova, director of the prisoner rights group Russia Behind Bars. Western military officials say convicts formed the bulk of Wagner’s force there.

About 32,000 have returned from Ukraine, Prigozhin said last week, before his abortive rebellion against the Defense Ministry. Romanova estimated it to be about 15,000 as of early June.