A criminal case under the article on organizing an armed rebellion “lawfully and reasonably” was opened by the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia against the founder of PMC “Wagner” Yevgeny Prigozhin, clarified The Attorney General’s Office in his telegram channel.
The agency said that Prigozhin’s actions would be subject to “appropriate legal assessment” and that for organizing an armed rebellion, the Russian Criminal Code provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 12 to 20 years old.
In turn, the Public Relations Center (TsOS) of the FSB declared that the statements made on behalf of Prigozhin “are in fact calls for the outbreak of an armed civil conflict on the territory of Russia”, and that criminal proceedings have been initiated against him “due to the threat of a escalation of confrontation” in the country. In addition, the DSP appealed to the fighters of the Wagner PMC, urging them not to make mistakes, not to follow Prigozhin’s “criminal orders” and “to take measures to detain him”.
Earlier, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (CNA) reported the opening of a criminal case over having called for an armed rebellion. His statement said the case was opened by the Russian FSB “in connection with statements” made on Prigozhin’s behalf. “We demand an immediate halt to illegal actions,” said RIA Novosti quoting this post.
On the evening of June 23, Telegram channels and other social media accounts associated with Prigozhin and PMC Wagner began publishing reports that the Ministry of Defense had launched rocket attacks on the rear positions of a private military company. In the released audio clips, a male voice resembling Prigozhin talks about the deaths of fighters and calls for retaliation.
In the same voice, in these recordings, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is described as involved in the coordination of the strikes allegedly inflicted on the Wagner camps. Additionally, the videos contain calls to oppose the Ministry of Defense as well as PMC fighters who would be willing to do so.
The Ministry of Defense has officially denied the charges made by online accounts associated with Prigozhin. The ministry called the statements regarding the PMC rear camp strike “misleading and informative provocation”. “The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to carry out combat missions on the line of contact with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the special military operation,” the ministry’s Telegram channel said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is “aware of the situation unfolding around” Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of state’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said. “All necessary measures are taken,” assured the Kremlin spokesman.
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