- Putin Condemns Prigozhin’s Rebellion as Treason and Armed Insurrection
- Prigozhin Claims Seizure of Key Sites in Rostov-on-Don, Voronezh
- Feud with Defense Ministry: Prigozhin’s Accusations and Criticism
After losing patience with his former ally, who is conducting a revolt against the country’s defense ministry and seizing control of a key city used by the military to direct operations in Ukraine, the Russian leader addresses the nation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the commander of the Wagner mercenary group of treason and “armed rebellion.”
He condemned the actions of his former ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is conducting a rebellion to remove Russia’s defense minister, as a “stab in the back” to the nation’s soldiers and citizens.
The Russian leader had previously tolerated the rantings and threats of the man dubbed “Putin’s chef” due to the catering businesses he owned that supplied food to the Kremlin, but his tolerance for the current unrest has finally run out.
Prigozhin claimed that he and his forces had reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the Russian border from Ukraine and seized control of key sites, including the airfield, causing the crisis.
The city is the location of the Russian military command that oversees operations in Ukraine.
The Kremlin claims the mercenary group has taken defence facilities in Voronezh, 500 kilometres (310 miles) south of Moscow.
Prigozhin has pledged to “destroy anyone in our path.”
He stated, “This is not an armed rebellion, but a march for justice.”
Putin responded in a televised address, stating, “This is tantamount to armed insurrection”.
Russia will defend itself and rebuff this offensive.
“We are contending for the safety and lives of our citizens”.
This is an endeavor to undermine us from within.
This is a backhanded stab at our forces and the Russian people.
He continued, “The entire military, economic, and informational apparatus of the West is deployed against us.”
This battle, which will determine the fate of our people, demands the unification of all forces, consolidation, and responsibility.
“Those who plotted and orchestrated an armed rebellion and who took up arms against his fellow soldiers betrayed Russia. And they will be held accountable.”
Prigozhin has a long-standing feud with the defense ministry in Moscow, headed by Sergei Shoigu, whom he claims targeted his troops and ordered a rocket attack on Wagner’s camps in Ukraine, killing “a great number of our comrades.”
He stated that the attack occurred after he labeled the country’s military leadership as “evil” and claimed that the Kremlin’s justification for invading Ukraine in February was based on falsehoods.
Moscow has denied this, calling the allegations “false and an informational provocation.”
The FSB has urged the mercenary combatants not to carry out “criminal and traitorous orders” and to arrest Prigozhin.
As an indication of how seriously the Kremlin views the threat, security in Moscow has been increased.
While the outcome of the confrontation remained uncertain, it appeared likely that it would hinder Moscow’s war effort further as Ukrainian forces test Russian defenses in preparation for a counteroffensive.
The Wagner forces captured Bakhmut, the site of Russia’s bloodiest and longest combat in Ukraine, a key victory.
Prigozhin has frequently accused Russia’s military leadership of incompetence and withholding his soldiers arms and ammo.
