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Putin faces his first major challenge in more than a decade in power

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REUTERS - Wagner en Rostov
REUTERS - Wagner in Rostov
Margarita Arredondas
Updated: 26/06/23

Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenaries are shaking the foundations of the Kremlin. Tensions in recent months between the Wagner group and Russia's Defence Ministry have flared after an alleged attack by the Russian army on a military camp of the paramilitary organisation in Ukraine.

In response, Prigozhin has launched an aggressive offensive that threatens to reach Moscow. After taking Rostov, Wagner's fighters continue to advance towards the capital. According to EFE, the paramilitary organisation is already in the Lipetsk region, 340 kilometres from Moscow.

In an attempt to contain the mercenaries' rapid advance, the Russian authorities have set up roadblocks on the roads near Moscow, Prigozhin's target. Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech accusing his former ally of "treason", the authorities have stepped up security in the capital, going so far as to impose an "anti-terrorist operation regime".

There are moments of panic in Moscow about the possible imminent arrival of Wagner's mercenaries, accused of war crimes not only in Ukraine, but also in Syria and Libya. Videos on social media show long queues at Russian petrol stations near the capital, as those who can flee what many already consider a civil war. "Many private jets in Moscow taking off in a hurry to other cities. The richest member of the government, Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, has left the country," tweets EL MUNDO's Moscow correspondent Xavier Colás.

The "march for justice", as Prigozhin calls it, aims to oust the current Kremlin authorities, whom he accuses of being "corrupt and incompetent". The Wagner leader has also denounced the looting of aid and theft of ammunition in Ukraine, as well as in African countries where his militia operates.

Kadyrov, at Putin's side

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, once again expressing his full support for Putin, has described the Prigozhin mutiny as "treason". Kadyrov has therefore announced that Chechen soldiers are in areas of "tension" and will do everything possible to defend and protect the unity of Russia.

Kadyrov used the same words as the Russian authorities, calling the uprising a "stab in the back". Like the Russian security services, the Chechen leader has called on Russian soldiers not to give in to any "provocations.

Zelensky: "anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself".

 

Ukraine, a victim of both the Russian army and Wagner's forces, is closely following the latest developments in Russia. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky has stressed that Russia's current weakness is "obvious". "The longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and trouble it will have for itself in the future," he said on his Twitter account.

"Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself," declared Zelensky, who also referred to the cowardice being shown by Russian military elites. "Who despises the people and throws hundreds of thousands into war, to finally entrench himself in the Moscow region of those he himself armed," the president noted, recalling the close friendship between Putin and Prigozhin, a relationship from which Wagner's boss benefited to gain relevance in military matters.

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