What happens in Russia between the Wagner Group and Putin. The latest news and insights
All the news between President Putin and the leader of the Wagner mercenary company Prigozhin. The Start Magazine special
Latent air of a coup in Russia?
Certainly skyrocketing tensions between the Wagner Group and Putin.
Here are the latest news.
The leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Evgenij (or Yevgeny) Prigozhin, announced that he has taken control of the headquarters of the Russian armed forces in the center of Rostov, the capital of the homonymous region of the Russian Federation.
“We are at the headquarters, it is 7:30 [6:30 in Italy],” Prigozhin said in a video broadcast on Telegram: “The military sites in Rostov are under surveillance, including the airport,” added the leader of the Wagner group, as he is seen walking along with other men in uniform.
PUTIN'S SPEECH
"We will defend our people and our state from any betrayal." This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech to the nation on live TV after the rebellion by the head of Wagner. "Now the fate of our people is being decided," he added.
“People who are now fighting on the front have received this stab in the back. The actions that have divided our unity are, in fact, the denial of our people, of our comrades in arms who are now fighting at the front: this is a stab in the back for our country and our people".
( COUP IN RUSSIA? MILITARY ANALYSIS )
According to Putin, “all those who have chosen the path of betrayal will be punished and will be held accountable. The armed forces have received the necessary orders." He then called on all involved "to stop your criminal actions," he added.
Putin compared the current clashes between Wagner and the army to 1917, when the Russian armed forces were fighting the First World War but "victory was practically stolen" by the Bolshevik revolution. The president described it as a “civil war, Russians killing Russians, brothers killing brothers. The various political adventurers have taken advantage of this situation. We will not allow such a situation to happen again."
“Firm actions will be taken to stabilize the situation in Rostov-on-Don. The situation remains difficult,” he admitted. The president then accused Prigozhin of having "betrayed" Russia out of "personal ambition".
PRIGOZHIN'S ACCUSATIONS AGAINST THE RUSSIAN ARMY
Yesterday evening, Prigozhin launched serious accusations against the leaders of the Russian armed forces, in his opinion guilty of lying about the progress of the offensive, and called on the Russian population to rebel.
The Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Federal Security Service (FSB) have opened a criminal case against him for inciting armed insurrection, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Putin is constantly informed on the situation in deed.
– Read also: I'll explain what the real relationship between the Wagner Group and Putin is
"IT'S NOT A COUP, IT'S JUSTICE"
In an audio message released on social media in the night between Friday and Saturday, Prigozhin said that "the command of the Wagner group has decided that those with military responsibility for the country must be stopped". “It is not a military coup, it is justice that is in motion. Our actions do not hinder the troops in any way,” Prigozhin said in another audio, referring to Russian operations in Ukraine.
( COUP IN RUSSIA? MILITARY ANALYSIS )
Prigozhin then invited not to offer "resistance" to his militias. “We are 25,000 and we will find out why there is chaos in the country […]. Our strategic reserves are the entire army and the entire country”, said the leader of the Wagner group before inviting “all those who want to join us” to “put an end to the mess”.
WHAT'S WRONG BETWEEN WAGNER AND THE RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY
According to the head of Wagner, who has long disagreed with the Russian military leaders, the Defense Ministry ordered to hide 2,000 bodies kept there in the Rostov morgue "so as not to show the extent of Russian losses" in the war in Ukraine .
– Listen: What happens between the Wagner Brigade and Putin
THE ANSWER OF GENERAL SUROVIKIN
In response to Prigozhin's appeal, Russian general Sergej Surovikin, who leads the forces engaged in Ukraine, urged the Wagner mercenaries to "stop" before it is "too late". “I address the fighters and leaders of the Wagner group […]. We are of the same blood, we are warriors. I ask you to stop […] before it is too late, it is necessary to obey the will and order of the president-elect of Russia,” the general said in a video broadcast on Telegram.
“The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation in our country to get worse. You cannot hand it over to the enemy at this difficult time,” Surovikin added.
Read also: This is what Russia is doing with the Wagner company in Ukraine
THE REACTION OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
The Russian government has meanwhile stepped up security in Moscow. Enhanced measures have been ordered for strategic sites in the capital, as well as state buildings and transport infrastructure.
( COUP IN RUSSIA? MILITARY ANALYSIS )
After Prigozhin's appeal, Russian authorities also blocked access to Google News in the country. According to data published by "NetBlocks", a platform that monitors government control over the Internet, at least five telecommunications companies have already blocked user access to Google's news aggregator. Among these there is also the first company in the country, Rostelecom, and according to the data, other operators are also starting to reduce access to the site.
WHAT THE RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY SAID ABOUT UKRAINE
In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukrainian troops are planning an attack in the Bakhmut area "taking advantage of the provocation" launched by Wagner's leader and the chaos generated.
"Taking advantage of Prigozhin's provocation to destabilize the situation, the Kiev regime is regrouping units of the 35th and 36th Marine Infantry Brigades for offensive actions" in the Bakhmut area, the statement reads.
– Read also: Is Russia conquering Africa thanks to Wagner?
COUP IN RUSSIA? THE ANALYSIS OF THE MILITARY
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/russia-wagner-putin/ on Sat, 24 Jun 2023 06:49:03 +0000.