Putin vows to "crush" Wagner rebellion
Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing his worst domestic crisis since the start of the so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close friend of the Russian leader and head of the Wagner group, has launched an uprising against the Russian army after accusing it of attacking a militia military camp and killing a large number of mercenaries.
Fighterbomber: "A PMC column 2 km from Buturlinovka (a town in Voronezh Oblast).
— Dmitri (@wartranslated) June 24, 2023
They are going to the airport. This is the moment when they turned towards it. Civil trucks are also used.
"Pantsir" is actively used. In each column, a fighter in a car is ready to fire from… pic.twitter.com/wZJ4Gl7UNK
Russia's defence ministry, which has had tensions with Wagner in the past, has denied the allegations, calling Prigozhin's accusations a "provocation".
In response to the incident, Putin's chef has mobilised his forces from Ukraine into Russia, arriving in the city of Rostov, where he claims to have taken control of military facilities without a fight. "The chief of staff ran away as soon as he heard we were approaching the building," Prigozhin noted on his Telegram channel from the military headquarters in the city.
Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov, now under the control of his mercenary organisation. pic.twitter.com/i5KoYSXT0y
— Jimmy Rushton (@JimmySecUK) June 24, 2023
In addition to Rostov, Wagner fighters also reportedly seized barracks in Voronezh, about 500 kilometres from Moscow, a Russian security source told Reuters.
These two cities are not Wagner's ultimate target, however. Prigozhin and his 25,000 men have vowed to go "all the way" against Moscow's high command, threatening to destroy anyone who stands in the way. The Russian capital has already begun to tighten security, imposing an "anti-terrorist operation regime". Meanwhile, in St Petersburg, Wagner's headquarters in the city have been cordoned off.
BREAKING: Footage of Wagner Group forces arriving at military headquarters in Rostov, Russia.pic.twitter.com/yRzi0PAfsj
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) June 24, 2023
Putin was quick to comment on the actions of his former ally. In a televised speech, the president accused Wagner of "treason", calling the riot a "stab in the back" and a "blow to Russia". For this reason, Putin has warned of "inevitable punishment" against all those who have chosen "the path of treason".
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has already opened a criminal investigation against Prigozhin, who could face up to 20 years in prison for armed rebellion and causing "an armed civil conflict on Russian territory".
🚨 Prigozhin issued his first public address from the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, a city with a population of 1.1 million, which Wagner PMC now fully control.
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) June 24, 2023
English subtitles. pic.twitter.com/SDg4astcaY
The Russian security services have also appealed to Wagner's fighters, urging them "not to make irreparable mistakes, to stop any forceful actions against the Russian people, not to carry out Prigozhin's criminal and treacherous orders and to take measures to stop him".
The Wagner leader has responded to the Putin and Moscow authorities, stressing that he and his fighters "are not traitors" and will not surrender and will continue the fight. "We are patriots. We have fought and we will continue to fight," he announced on Telegram.
In his latest video, Prigozhin also took the opportunity to denounce Moscow's "corruption and lies", citing "stolen aid and ammunition" while his group was operating in Africa and Ukraine.
Prigozhin questions motives for invasion of Ukraine
In addition to starting an armed rebellion, Wagner's boss has pointed out that the Russian leadership's justifications for starting the war in the neighbouring country were based on lies.
"The war was necessary so that Shoigu (defence minister) could become a marshal," he said in taped remarks picked up by Reuters. "The war was not necessary to demilitarise or denazify Ukraine," he added, referring to the Kremlin's main argument for attacking.
Prigozhin also mentioned the high number of Russian soldiers killed, in many cases with little or no training. "Those who destroyed our boys, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance," he said.
