Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion against Russia’s military

Prigozhin is heading an armed rebellion in southern Russia and has demanded the removal of Russia’s military leadership.

The chaotic infighting of Russia’s forces came after Prigozhin accused Russia’s military leadership of killing a “huge” number of his paramilitary troops.

This morning, Wagner forces crossed into Russia with the aim of toppling Moscow’s military leadership. Prigozhin said he and his 25,000 fighters are “ready to die”.

Prigozhin says military sites in Rostov-on-Don are under the control of his group.

Putin reacts to Prigozhin’s move

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said that an armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries was a “stab in the back” and that the group’s chief had “betrayed” Russia, vowing to punish those rebelling.

“This is a stab in a back to our country, to our nation,” Putin said in an address to the nation. “What we have been faced with is exactly betrayal. Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason,” Putin said referring to Prigozhin.

“All those who consciously stood on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, before the law and before our people,” he added.

Prigozhin hits back at Putin

Prigozhin reportedly responded angrily to Putin’s speech — with Wagner stating that soon Russia will have a “new president”.

It’s the first time the Wagner Group has directly attacked Putin, with Prigozhin previously directed his ire towards Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

A Wagner-linked Telegram channel posted a defiant message in response to Vladimir Putin’s remarks.

“Putin made the wrong choice,” the channel wrote. “So much the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president.”

What is the Wagner Group

Wagner Group is a Russian paramilitary organisation that is operating in Ukraine with Russia’s military forces.

It was founded by Prigozhin and is headquarted in Saint Petersburg, Russia‎.

The forces have been involved in a number of wars including the Syrian civil war, the conflict in Sudan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin

A Russian oligarch and head of Wagner Group, Prigozhin has been close to Putin for years — until his recent action.

He was once referred to as “Putin’s chef” because he owns businesses that served the Kremlin.

In his youth he was caught stealing — and on the second occasion served time in prison. He’s also been involved in robbery and fraud.

Before President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to Ukraine last February, 62-year-old Prigozhin dispatched mercenaries from his private fighting force to conflicts in the Middle East and Africa but always denied involvement.

That changed when the long-time Kremlin ally finally admitted last year he had founded the Wagner group and began a mass recruitment drive at Russia’s prisons for foot soldiers to fight in exchange for an amnesty.

Why did Prigozhin launch the mutiny

Prigozhin has been critical of the Russian military leadership in recent months.

While gaining public acclaim in Russia as Wagner spearheaded the capture of several key Ukrainian towns including Bakhmut, Prigozhin has also blasted what he says is systemic mismanagement and lying in the Russian defence ministry.

Recently he accused Moscow’s top brass of deceiving Russians about the course of Ukraine’s offensive and pointed to Kyiv’s progress on the battlefield.

But the spark that lit the fuse was apparently an alleged bombing of his troops.

“The evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped,” Prigozhin said on Friday, after claiming the defence ministry had launched strikes on Wagner bases.

Russia’s FSB security service responded by opening a criminal probe into calls to stage “an armed mutiny,” even though Prigozhin has assured Russians he was calling for “justice” and “not a coup”.

– with AFP