Wagner Group Russia: After the successful negotiations between the President of Belarus and the Wagner chief on Saturday, Yevgeny Prigozhin has ordered his fighters to stop their advance toward Moscow, the capital of Russia, and go back to their camps.
A video clip circulating on Twitter, shows fighters from the Wagner group leaving the southern Russian city of Rostov and firing in the air as they leave.
The Kremlin says Yevgeny Prigozhin and his soldiers will not be prosecuted. According to emerging reports, the exodus of Wagner combatants from the urban landscape of Rostov-on-Don, situated in southern Russia, has commenced. These fighters had previously seized substantial dominion over the city after an armed insurrection that unfolded in the early hours of Saturday.
Civilians standing on the streets can be heard chanting slogans in favour of the militants. Since Wagner’s armed uprising, several videos have surfaced of public support for the mercenary group by civilians in the southern city of Rostov.
Prigozhin declared a mutiny against the Russian army and his fighters captured the city of Rostov, including a large military outpost. In a televised speech on Saturday that reached the entire nation, President Vladimir Putin of Russia condemned Prigozhin’s actions as acts constituting betrayal.
President Putin Vows to Severely Punish Wagner Fighters for Armed Rebellion
Wagner, a group of mercenaries in Russia, has been accused of ‘armed rebellion’. President Vladimir Putin says those who divide Russia will be severely punished after tensions between Russian troops and Wagner fighters began Friday night.
In his brief televised address on Saturday, he also stressed that all the “necessary orders” to deal with the crisis had been given, pledging to defend Russia. In a poignant declaration, President Putin emphasizes that Russia’s destiny hangs in the balance, characterizing the rebels’ actions as a treacherous betrayal from behind.
President Putin says the ‘ambition’ of some has led to ‘treason’, without mentioning Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin. In his address, Putin said some Russians were ‘trapped into criminal adventures’, without mentioning the rebel Wagner fighters.
It should be noted that there has been a dramatic increase in fighting between the Russian military and its mercenary Wagner Force fighters. From the onset of Friday night, Russia witnessed a notable surge in security measures, with a stringent tightening observed. Simultaneously, the imposition of an Internet prohibition ensued, and the thoroughfare of Moscow exhibited the presence of military trucks.
While the head of Russia’s private army or mercenary group Wagner has vowed to ‘overthrow’ Russia’s military leadership. He made the announcement hours after the Kremlin accused him of an ‘armed coup’. President Putin said in his speech that now the anti-terrorist regime is established in the capital,l Mosco,w and many other regions.
On the other hand, the local news agency Fontanka has reported that ‘it seems that Russian law enforcement agencies have raided Wagner’s office in St. Petersburg.
“Law enforcement has entered the PMC Wagner Center on Zolnia Street in St. Petersburg,” the local news agency said.
On Saturday, as per the report, a duo of buses transporting Riot Police and National Guardsmen approached the edifice, accompanied by individuals garbed in ordinary attire. The Fontanka news outlet shared information regarding the incursion via its Telegram channel.
The agency claimed that officers ‘wearing masks and carrying automatic rifles’ were deployed near St Petersburg’s Blagoveshchensky Bridge, where Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has a hotel and a restaurant.
Fontanka subsequently unveiled footage revealing the ingress of law enforcement personnel into the Wagner Center, accompanied by armed individuals positioned in proximity to properties associated with Prigozhin. It is noteworthy to recollect that videos circulated during the early hours of Saturday depict purported incursions by Wagner’s troops into the Russian municipality of Rostov-on-Don.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the principal figure of the Wagner Group, asserted that his Wagner combatants had traversed the Ukraine-Russia border and successfully penetrated the urban confines of Rostov-on-Don. Furthermore, they proclaimed their unwavering resolve to eliminate any impediment encountered on their path.
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He also released a video statement saying that Wagner’s fighters would continue to blockade the city and advance toward Moscow untildefencee chiefs Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov arrived and met with them. The local governor urged the citizens there to remain calm and stay indoors.
Mr Prigozhin claimed his forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter that had ‘fired on a civilian convoy’. Without further elucidation on his part, his assertion remained unverifiable at present.
The Wagner Group is a private army of mercenaries regularly fighting alongside the Russian military in Ukraine. Mr Prigozhin has been sharply critical of Russia’s military leadership in recent months, amid growing tensions between them over how to fight the war against Ukraine.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, aged 62, levied a grave accusation against the Russian military on Friday, asserting their responsibility for an annihilative missile strike on his forces. With resolute determination, he pledged to administer due retribution upon them. Yet, regrettably, substantiating evidence to support his claims was conspicuously absent.
Russian authorities have denied the attack and demanded that the Wagner Group stop its ‘illegal actions’.
March for Justice
Mr Prigozhin said the “evil” of Russia’s military leadership must be stopped and vowed to “march for justice”. Meanwhile, the anti-Kremlin tycoon has appealed to Russians to support Wagner’s leadership. Anti-Kremlin figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky has urged Russians to back Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has vowed to topple Moscow’s military leadership.
Formerly the most affluent tycoon in Russia, Mikhail Khodorkovsky expressed his unwavering commitment to providing assistance and even confronting those who require help, affirming, “We shall presently extend aid and, if necessary, engage in combat.” After his fallout with Vladimir Putin, Khodorkovsky endured ten years of imprisonment in a Russian correctional facility.
Considering Prigozhin’s potential challenge to the Kremlin, Khodorkovsky underscored the necessity of supporting ‘the devil’ given the prevailing circumstances, proclaiming, “This merely signifies the commencement.”
Concurrently, the mayor of Moscow has disclosed a comprehensive strategy aimed at bolstering security within the capital by introducing a series of anti-terrorist measures. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram that ‘given the received information, anti-terrorist measures are being taken in Moscow to strengthen security measures. Additional security is being deployed on the roads.
He said that holding public events may be restricted in such a case. Please understand the importance of steps taken with understanding. Earlier, Wagner’s chief said in an audio message posted on the social media platform Telegram that “those who killed our fighters, and lost the lives of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers (in the war in Ukraine) Punishment will be given.”
“I ask you not to resist (us),” he added. Anyone who does so will be considered a threat and destroyed. This (warning) is for any checkpoints and flights coming our way. Our endeavour is not a military coup but rather a march towards justice. Our actions are carefully orchestrated to avoid hindering or disturbing the troops’ operations.
As per Tass, the official news agency of Russia, heightened security measures have been implemented since Friday night at crucial sites in Moscow, encompassing government buildings and transportation hubs. Furthermore, the governor of the Lipetsk region in Russia has appealed to the residents to abstain from southbound travel.
Lipetsk, situated approximately 280 km northeast of the nearest Ukrainian border and over 500 km north of Rostov, remains vigilant. Governor Igor Artamonov, communicating via Telegram, underscored the implementation of heightened security measures in the region, with specific emphasis on safeguarding critical infrastructure establishments.
The Defense Ministry of Ukraine, in a late Friday tweet, simply stated, “We are evaluating the situation.”Conversely, the Office of the US President at the White House affirmed its active monitoring of the situation, highlighting the intent to engage in consultations with allied nations.
General Sergei Sarovkin, the deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, whose leadership has previously been commended by Prigozhin, urged him to “halt the convoys and instruct them to return to their bases.”
In a video, he proclaimed, ‘We share a common lineage, united by our blood, and stand as formidable warriors.’ You should not play into the hands of the enemy at such a difficult time for our country.’ Another senior commander, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev, described the actions of Wagner’s chief as ‘stabbing the country and the president in the back’.
What is the Wagner Group?
Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2014, a startling revelation emerged: Prigozhin’s identity as a businessman was far from ordinary, as he had deep connections with a private military company. This private army was first reported to be fighting Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbas region.
It is commonly known as ‘Wagner’. In addition to Ukraine, Wagner was active throughout Africa and elsewhere. The group was always doing things that could further the Kremlin’s agenda. Currently, Yevgeny Prigozhin holds the reins of authority within this collective.
According to Dr. Sergey Sukhan’s kin, a senior fellow at The Gerstein Foundation think tank, the Wagner group was created by a man named Dmitry Yudkin. He was a member of the Russian Special Military Squad until 2013.
“At Wagner Group, they recruited people between the ages of 35 and 50 who were burdened by family or debt,” says Sukhan Kan. They mostly came from small towns and had few job opportunities. Some among them were directly engaged in the Chechen conflict, whereas others played active roles in the Russo-Georgian war. He had experience of war, but he could not find his place in ordinary life.’
Sergei says he was trained for about three months at a facility near the Russian military intelligence department. As a result, it was inferred that the group maintained ties with the Russian military.Reportedly, members of this group were deployed to various conflict-ridden regions across the globe.
His statement reflected, “In my opinion, Russia desired this to avoid replicating the errors made in Chechnya and Afghanistan.”Putin feared that if more Russian soldiers were killed in military operations on foreign soil, it would inflame public anger.’
In the conflicts of both Chechnya and Afghanistan, the Russian military endured substantial casualties, with numerous soldiers making the ultimate sacrifice and losing their lives. The Wagner Group was not officially part of the army, so its inclusion in the campaign helped keep the casualty count down.
Sergei puts forth the notion that a prominent factor behind this was Russia’s ability to absolve itself of any responsibility. That is, he could say that he has no information about these fighters. Another reason is that it is difficult to send an army or paramilitary forces to sensitive places in another country.’
As time elapsed, this contingent of mercenaries earned a notorious standing for their extreme brutality. Members of Wagner are accused of torturing a Syrian prisoner with a hammer in 2017, beheading him, and then setting his body on fire.
In the subsequent year, a tragic incident occurred where three journalists from Russia lost their lives during an investigation into Wagner’s activities in the Central African Republic. In 2022 Wagner was again accused of murdering a man with a hammer on suspicion that he had ‘betrayed’ the group in Ukraine. After members of the European Parliament called for Wagner to be designated as a terrorist group, Prigozhin claimed he had sent politicians a bloody hammer.
Despite vehemently denying any association with Wagner for years and even taking legal action against those who made such claims, Prigozhin made an unexpected revelation in September 2022, acknowledging that he had indeed established the group in 2014.
Despite being sanctioned by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, Wagner persists in operating within Russia, even though the country’s laws forbid mercenary activities.