On June 23, Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian Defense Ministry of hitting its mercenaries and announced a “march for justice” against the country’s top military leaders. A criminal case has been opened against him and security measures have been tightened in Russian cities.
Evgeny Prigozhin’s PMC Wagner Group announced control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don, military equipment is located on the streets of the center. Prigozhin demanded a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of the General Staff, threatening to blockade the city and march on Moscow.
What is happening?
The Russian American media service collects a timeline of the acute phase of the conflict between Prigozhin and Russia’s top military leaders. The Attorney General’s office has opened a criminal investigation against PMC founder “Wagner” for organizing an armed rebellion.
The situation is changing rapidly and in these conditions not all reports can be verified quickly from several independent sources. We continue to monitor the development of events, as well as constantly clarify and supplement the material.
SATURDAY JUNE 24
The Russian Ministry of Defense issued an appeal to Wagner PMC units, stating that the mercenaries had been “deceived into Prigozhin’s criminal adventure and participation in an armed rebellion” (spelling retained).
In Moscow, in the Moscow and Voronezh regions, a regime of anti-terrorist operations has been established. This was stated by the National Anti-Terrorism Committee of the Russian Federation.
The situation in Rostov-on-Don
Local media in Rostov-on-Don and the TASS agency published videos and photographs of gunmen and armored vehicles taken in the city on the morning of June 24. The Russian state news agency TASS calls the people mercenaries of the Wagner PMC.
Later, a video appeared in which the head of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin, apparently, near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov, surrounded by armed people, communicates with people in military uniforms similar to the Deputy Minister of Russian Defense Federation Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alekseev.
In this video, broadcast by telegram channels associated with Wagner’s PMC, Prigozhin states that he “wants to get the Chief of the General Staff and Shoigu”. “Until they leave, we are here, blockading the city of Rostov and going to Moscow.”
Prigozhin also said that the PMC “Wagner” controls the military installations in Rostov-on-Don, “including the airfield.”
Independent confirmation of the reliability of the video, the time and place of its recording have not yet appeared. So far, there has been no official confirmation (or refutation) of Prigozhin’s statements.
As local edition 161.ru reports, the buildings of the headquarters of the southern military district, the headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB department, the administration and one of the police departments were locked up in Rostov.
FRIDAY JUNE 23
Comments and reactions
The United States is monitoring developments, CNN reported. US President Joe Biden has been briefed on developments in Russia and Ukraine, National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said Friday evening. “We are monitoring the situation and will consult with our allies and partners regarding these developments.”
Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kirill Budanov, commented on what was happening: “Putin’s fragile dictatorship fell…Rashists started gnawing at each other for power and money. The resilience and courage of the Ukrainian nation, despite the lack of help from Western partners, helped to survive the most difficult days of Russian aggression. And now the word belongs to our trained assault brigades who, on the shoulders of the invaders, will liberate Ukraine and the territories that want to be part of our mighty, invincible and glorious country.
The following message appeared on the Ukrainian Armed Forces Twitter: “We are monitoring.
The Russian public broadcaster Channel One issued a special press release. He voiced the first statements of law enforcement agencies of Russia.
Military equipment appeared on the streets of Rostov-on-Don and Moscow, Russian media reported. On the “Don” highway (this is the Moscow – Voronezh – Rostov-on-Don route), there were reports of the appearance of roadblocks. After Prigozhin’s statements, conscripts began to be armed in the Rostov region, Siberia.ru reported. realities”.
Russian media reported that in a number of cities the “Fortress†plan has been introduced, which involves an emergency gathering of personnel and the seizure of especially important objects from law enforcement agencies. A source from the BBC Russian Service reported that the Moscow office of the FSB had been alerted.
Official reactions in Russia
In response, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said that Prigozhin’s statements “do not correspond to reality and constitute an informative provocation”. Russian President’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said Vladimir Putin was aware of the situation.
After Prigozhin’s audio messages appeared, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation opened a criminal investigation into calling for an armed rebellion.
The FSB called on the mercenaries of PMC “Wagner” not to carry out the criminal orders of Prigozhin and to take measures to detain him. Russian Army General Sergei Surovikin also turned to them, urging them to settle everything “by peaceful means”.
In response, the following message appeared on the Telegram channel associated with Wagner PMC: “All the generals who, with shaking hands, call on the musicians to stop, have in fact signed their own sentence. There will be a court. Surovikin will always answer for the surrender of Kherson.
Before that, in the same telegram channel they wrote: “We are starting.”
Prigozhin’s statements
On the evening of Friday, June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian Defense Ministry of missile strikes on the rear of mercenaries from his Wagner PMC and announced an armed campaign to punish the country’s military leadership. Prigogine called it a “march of justice”.
In the telegram channel, which is associated with the press service of the founder of PMC “Wagner” Yevgeny Prigozhin, several audio messages appeared at once. The first said that the military forces of the Russian Federation would have hit the rear of the mercenaries.
Later, another audio message appeared. He says the following: “The council of commanders of Wagner’s PMC has made a decision: the evil that the military leadership of the country is carrying will be stopped.”
“After we finish what we started, we will return to the front lines to defend our homeland. The presidential power, the government, the ministry of the interior, the national guard and the other structures will continue to function in the usual way. We will deal with those who destroy Russian soldiers and return to the front. Justice in the troops will be restored, and after that – justice for all of Russia,†this is how the second audio message ends.
Other messages read: “We are 25,000 and we will understand why the chaos is happening in the country.” There is also a call to join the “Wagneriansâ€: “Anyone who wants to join. We have to end this mess.”
Prigozhin claims what is happening is “not a military coup, but a march of justice”.
Evgeny Prigozhin began posting voicemails that units of Wagner’s PMC had crossed the state border from Russia and were “entering Rostov” on the evening of June 23. According to him, the border guards and conscripts did not hinder the advance of his columns.
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