Wagner Chief Attempts ‘Armed Insurrection’ in Russia: Kremlin | antiwar.com

Scott

Verified User
I saw that Jarod posted about this in Current Events, but he didn't provide an article to go with the subject and he also didn't restrict people who have a history of disrupting threads I'm in, so I thought I'd create a thread of my own on the subject with an article I respect to go with it. Quoting the introduction to said article:

**
Tensions between the mercenary company and the government came to a head with an apparent coup attempt on Friday

by Will Porter Posted on June 24, 2023

The head of Russia’s Wagner private military firm, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has claimed to have captured a military facility in the Russian city of Rostov, after the mercenary chief accused government forces of attacking his fighters in Ukraine. The Kremlin has denied the allegations, instead labeling the move an “armed insurrection.”

In a video [link in original] shared on Prigozhin’s personal Telegram channel early on Saturday morning, he declared that his troops had taken Russia’s Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov, insisting there were “no problems” and that the base was “operating normally.”

“All that’s being done is we are taking control to ensure assault aviation does not conduct strikes on us, and instead on Ukrainians,” he said. “Military objects in Rostov are under control, including the airfield. Planes that leave for battle [in Ukraine] are leaving nominally.”

On Friday, Prigozhin claimed a Russian “missile attack” on a Wagner camp had left “many victims,” sharing footage purporting to depict the aftermath of the strike. While the video appears to show the body of one dead soldier and multiple small fires in a wooded area, it includes little direct evidence of an attack.

In another post, the Wagner head stated: “There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country,” suggesting he would advance on Rostov, a major city in Russia’s southwest. He argued his actions did not amount to a “military coup,” instead describing the move as a “march for justice.”

Prigozhin has led an increasingly public war of words with the Russian government and military, repeatedly accusing officials of declining to supply the ammunition and gear needed to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut (known as Artyomovsk in Russia). The town finally fell in May, after months of brutal fighting.

Russian authorities have rejected Prigozhin’s charges outright, with the Defense Ministry stating they “do not correspond with reality” while deeming his claims an “informational provocation.” On Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s prosecutor general, Igor Krasnov, had launched criminal proceedings against Prigozhin for an “attempt to organize an armed insurrection.”

In a televised address, President Vladimir Putin later accused Prigozhin of a “betrayal of his country and people,” vowing to “react harshly” to the uprising.

“Everything that weakens Russia should be thrown aside,” the leader said, adding that the military and police had received the “necessary orders” to deal with the “rebels.”

**

Full article:
Wagner Chief Attempts ‘Armed Insurrection’ in Russia: Kremlin | antiwar.com
 
Interesting

A native of St. Petersburg, like Putin, Prigozhin served time in prison for assault in the 1980s. He later opened a hot dog stand and eventually a catering business before becoming, improbably, one of Putin’s closest advisers.
 
It’s already over with

No....Prigozhin will now be arrested, and Wagner is likely to be disbanded.

The charges against Prigozhin have been dropped, and instead it looks like he will be exiled to Belarus:

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Russia’s Wagner Group has called off its march on Moscow and agreed to stand down after launching a two-day mutiny and seizing a military base in the city of Rostov-on-Don. The Kremlin said it would drop all charges against the company and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has been guaranteed safe passage to Belarus.

Prigozhin shared a brief audio statement to social media on Saturday confirming his decision to withdraw, saying that the PMC would return to its "field camps" and continue their previous operations in Ukraine "according to plan."

"They wanted to disband PMC Wagner. On June 23, we went on a ‘March of Justice’ in a day. We advanced on Moscow just 200km short, and during this time we did not shed a single drop of the blood of our fighters," he said.

**

Source:
Prigozhin Headed for Belarus After Ending ‘Insurrection’ | antiwar.com

Based on an rt.com I read, it does appear that Wagner will be disbanded though:

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The criminal case against Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) founder Evgeny Prigozhin will be dropped and he will leave Russia, the Kremlin announced on Saturday evening.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that Prigozhin, a Saint Petersburg tycoon who made his initial fortune in catering, "will go to Belarus."

He added that Wagner's fighters will not be persecuted, taking into account their efforts on the frontlines of the Ukraine conflict. Peskov explained that President Vladimir Putin's team "have always respected their exploits."

PMC contractors who refused to take part in the mutiny – and whole units did not – will be allowed to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry, Peskov stated.

**

Full article:
Kremlin reveals details of Wagner deal | rt.com

Left unsaid is that those who -did- take part in the mutiny won't be allowed to sign contracts with the military and will presumably go back to civilian life.

Looking at the first article from antiwar and the second one from rt, it seems that Prigozhin had engaged in a bit of wishful thinking of things going back to how they were before the insurrection. However, it looks like he's getting safe passage to Belarus and it also looks like none of his troops will be charged, so perhaps the best he can do.
 
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The charges against Prigozhin have been dropped, and instead it looks like he will be exiled to Belarus:

**
Russia’s Wagner Group has called off its march on Moscow and agreed to stand down after launching a two-day mutiny and seizing a military base in the city of Rostov-on-Don. The Kremlin said it would drop all charges against the company and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has been guaranteed safe passage to Belarus.

Prigozhin shared a brief audio statement to social media on Saturday confirming his decision to withdraw, saying that the PMC would return to its "field camps" and continue their previous operations in Ukraine "according to plan."

"They wanted to disband PMC Wagner. On June 23, we went on a ‘March of Justice’ in a day. We advanced on Moscow just 200km short, and during this time we did not shed a single drop of the blood of our fighters," he said.

**

Source:
Prigozhin Headed for Belarus After Ending ‘Insurrection’ | antiwar.com

Based on an rt.com I read, it does appear that Wagner will be disbanded though:

**
The criminal case against Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) founder Evgeny Prigozhin will be dropped and he will leave Russia, the Kremlin announced on Saturday evening.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that Prigozhin, a Saint Petersburg tycoon who made his initial fortune in catering, "will go to Belarus."

He added that Wagner's fighters will not be persecuted, taking into account their efforts on the frontlines of the Ukraine conflict. Peskov explained that President Vladimir Putin's team "have always respected their exploits."

PMC contractors who refused to take part in the mutiny – and whole units did not – will be allowed to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry, Peskov stated.

**

Full article:
Kremlin reveals details of Wagner deal | rt.com

Left unsaid is that those who -did- take part in the mutiny won't be allowed to sign contracts with the military and will presumably go back to civilian life.

People who betray Russia tend to end up dead.

We shall see.
 
People who betray Russia tend to end up dead.

We shall see.

For me, there's a really important question here. From the article in the opening post:

**
On Friday, Prigozhin claimed a Russian “missile attack” on a Wagner camp had left “many victims,” sharing footage purporting to depict the aftermath of the strike. While the video appears to show the body of one dead soldier and multiple small fires in a wooded area, it includes little direct evidence of an attack.

In another post, the Wagner head stated: “There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country,” suggesting he would advance on Rostov, a major city in Russia’s southwest. He argued his actions did not amount to a “military coup,” instead describing the move as a “march for justice.”

Prigozhin has led an increasingly public war of words with the Russian government and military, repeatedly accusing officials of declining to supply the ammunition and gear needed to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut (known as Artyomovsk in Russia). The town finally fell in May, after months of brutal fighting.

Russian authorities have rejected Prigozhin’s charges outright, with the Defense Ministry stating they “do not correspond with reality” while deeming his claims an “informational provocation.”

**

Was Prigozhin lying about this missile attack and/or the Russian military declining to supply Wagner with ammunition and gear needed to capture Bakhmut? If the answer is no to either of these questions, does Putin know? It could make a difference in to how Putin views him.

One thing I will say, the fact that Prigozhin had apparently hoped to simply get back to the war front as if the whole insurrection hadn't happened suggests he didn't properly think the consequences of his actions through.
 
I think that the guys on The Duran are wrong.....I think that Putin comes out of this stronger.

Maybe. One thing, I definitely think that Putin made the right decision in cutting a deal with Prigozhin. It seems all he gave Prigozhin was safe passage to Belarus and an agreement not to prosecute those who followed him in his "march for justice". Not bad, considering how much more messy the situation could have become.
 
For me, there's a really important question here. From the article in the opening post:

**
On Friday, Prigozhin claimed a Russian “missile attack” on a Wagner camp had left “many victims,” sharing footage purporting to depict the aftermath of the strike. While the video appears to show the body of one dead soldier and multiple small fires in a wooded area, it includes little direct evidence of an attack.

In another post, the Wagner head stated: “There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country,” suggesting he would advance on Rostov, a major city in Russia’s southwest. He argued his actions did not amount to a “military coup,” instead describing the move as a “march for justice.”

Prigozhin has led an increasingly public war of words with the Russian government and military, repeatedly accusing officials of declining to supply the ammunition and gear needed to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut (known as Artyomovsk in Russia). The town finally fell in May, after months of brutal fighting.

Russian authorities have rejected Prigozhin’s charges outright, with the Defense Ministry stating they “do not correspond with reality” while deeming his claims an “informational provocation.”

**

Was Prigozhin lying about this missile attack and/or the Russian military declining to supply Wagner with ammunition and gear needed to capture Bakhmut? If the answer is no to either of these questions, does Putin know? It could make a difference in to how Putin views him.

One thing I will say, the fact that Prigozhin had apparently hoped to simply get back to the war front as if the whole insurrection hadn't happened suggests he didn't properly think the consequences of his actions through.

They call that being unhinged, not well.......... but when you parley that into betraying Russia in time of war to secure its existence, which is what the Russians think they are doing, then I would expect substantial consequences.
 
Maybe. One thing, I definitely think that Putin made the right decision in cutting a deal with Prigozhin. It seems all he gave Prigozhin was safe passage to Belarus and an agreement not to prosecute those who followed him in his "march for justice". Not bad, considering how much more messy the situation could have become.

I tend to doubt it, betraying the Motherland in time of war must carry substantial consequences.
 
Putin look weak and incapable of retaliation. This is the great Russian military that you love.

I think you're confusing diplomacy with weakness. It's not a weakness to try to resolve conflicts without violence. He certainly tried hard to resolve the Ukrainian conflict without a military intervention for 8 years. Finally decided that Ukraine and its western backers had to be dealt with militarily, not just diplomatically, but he certainly gave diplomacy a go. Prigozhin certainly came around to a diplomatic solution a lot faster than Ukraine did.
 
I think you're confusing diplomacy with weakness. It's not a weakness to try to resolve conflicts without violence. He certainly tried hard to resolve the Ukrainian conflict without a military intervention for 8 years. Finally decided that Ukraine and its western backers had to be dealt with militarily, not just diplomatically, but he certainly gave diplomacy a go. Prigozhin certainly came around to a diplomatic solution a lot faster than Ukraine did.

After he greatly damaged the nation.

There must be consequences.
 
I think you're confusing diplomacy with weakness. It's not a weakness to try to resolve conflicts without violence. He certainly tried hard to resolve the Ukrainian conflict without a military intervention for 8 years. Finally decided that Ukraine and its western backers had to be dealt with militarily, not just diplomatically, but he certainly gave diplomacy a go. Prigozhin certainly came around to a diplomatic solution a lot faster than Ukraine did.

do you also think that his invasion of Crimea during Obama's presidency was because Crimea was threatening Russia?.....who will be threatening them next?.......Canada?.....
 
He ended the insurrection before it even began

That's debateable, but he certainly before the man leading said possible insurrection was calling it that. I think a lot of people greatly undervalue the importance of diplomacy to resolve conflicts. Certainly the U.S. has shown little interest in it during the Ukraine war.
 
He ended the insurrection before it even began

Sounds pretty good to me

Wish we had a leader that strong

He didn't end anything.

And yet...

Prigozhin Headed for Belarus After Ending ‘Insurrection’ | antiwar.com

The Ukraine and its western backers had a chance to end the Ukraine war early on as well. Unfortunately, Ukraine, encouraged by the UK and quite possibly the U.S., ditched that route:

Could the War in Ukraine Have Been Stopped? | The National Interest
 
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