Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner group has called for a coup against Russian military leaders saying he has sent 25,000 fighters ready to “end this mess”.
On Friday June 23, soldiers from across Russia were put on high alert following the call by Prigozhin urging citizens to stay at home and threat to march to Moscow.
The mercenary group chief made the call after accusing Russian generals of attacking his bases in Ukraine. He stated that many of his men had been killed in the strikes. However, he did not provide any evidence to support his claims.
As per Friday night, his troops were advancing on Rostov.
“We crossed the state border in all places,” Prigozhin stated. “The border guards came out to meet and hugged our fighters.
“We are entering Rostov. We don’t fight children. Shoigu (Defence Minister) kills children. He put 18-year-old boys against us. These guys will live and go back to their mothers. But we will destroy everything that gets in the way.”
Later he revealed that his troops had shot down a Russian military helicopter after it shot on civilians in Rostov. However, he never provided any evidence.
Russia’s main intelligence unit stated that they have open a criminal case against Prigozhin who was one of Putin’s most trusted allies. He is now declared to be a ‘foreign agent’.
The FSB now says Prigozhin is leading an “armed rebellion inside Russia.” They added that: “This is punishable with between 12 and 20 years in prison.”
The FSB also called upon Wagner group members to arrest Prighozin.
“The evil that the country’s military leadership perpetuates must be stopped,” said Prighozin.
“I ask you not to resist. Anyone who does will be considered a threat and destroyed. That goes for any checkpoints and aviation on our way.”
“Presidential power, the government, the police and Russian guard will work as usual.
“This is not a military coup, but a march of justice. Our actions do not interfere with the troops in any way.”
“There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out what this chaos is happening in the country,” he said in a later update. “Anyone who wants to join can. We need to end this mess.”
On Friday, Prigozhin stated that Russia invaded Ukraine based on false information that the national was a threat to Moscow and its citizens.
An excess of 220,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded. The Wagner commander has not previously attacked Russian Ministry of Defence which is the centre of propaganda.
“The Ministry of Defence deceived the president and the public, telling them that there was insane aggression from Ukraine and that they were going to attack us with the entire Nato bloc,” Prigohzin said.
Reliable reports revealed on Saturday that Putin is already hiding in his bunker in Moscow.
Social media videos show hundreds of war tanks belonging to Wagner group inside Russia with Russian soldiers just watching them as they advance.
Ukraine and US have said that they are keenly watching the drama as it unfolds. Russian president spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said that Putin was aware of what is happening around Prigozhin.
Putin’s motorcade was later seen speeding from his residence to the Kremlin in Moscow. General Sergei Surovikin (deputy boss of armed forces in Ukraine) called on Prigohzin to return his convoys to their bases.
“Together we have been on a difficult path,” Gen Surovikin said. “We fought together, took risks, suffered losses and won together. We are the same blood. We are warriors. I urge you to stop.
“The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation in our country to deteriorate. You can’t play into the hands of the enemy in these difficult times for our country.”
News reaching our desk indicate that Russian government responded by an emergency plan known as fortress where they deployed soldiers to all strategic locations across Moscow.
Prigozhin has been an active critic of Russian head of the military, Valery Gerasimov, and Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu.
“All the messages and video frames distributed on social networks on behalf of Prigozhin about the alleged strike by the Russian Ministry of Defence on the rear camps of Wagner do not correspond to reality,” it said.
About Yevgeny Prigozhin
Yevgeny Prigozhin is a Russian Oligarch and leader of mercenary group and was a close friend of Vladimir Putin until June 2023 when he organized an alleged coup.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is also known as “Putin’s chef” because he owns catering companies and restaurants which serve the Kremlin.
The man also controls numerous companies including Wagner Group as well as three companies which are said to have interfered in the 2016 and 2018 elections in USA.
For many years, he denied that he was the founder of Wagner Group. However, in November 2022, he admitted being the founder of the mercenary group. That is after he was seen in Mari El prison where he was recruiting members to serve in his Wagner Group and get freedom if they serve for six months.
Most of his companies face criminal charges in the United States of America (USA) . The FBI has placed a tag of $250,000 for any information which can lead to his arrest.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, embraced entrepreneurship and established several businesses among them grocery stores, casinos, construction, foreign trade and marketing research.
Yevgeny Prigozhin owns a private jet as well as a yacht. He has also been linked to several planes such as Cessna 182s, Hawker 800XP, Embraer Legacy 600 and British Aerospace 125 jets.
Yevgeny Prigozhin’s net worth is estimated to be $1 billion.
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