The Russian secret services opened an investigation on Friday into the leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, after Yevgeny Prigozhin called a revolt against the Russian military command, which he accused of attacking his fighters.
“The accusations made public on behalf of Yevgeny Prigozhin are groundless. (…) The FSB [serviços de segurança russos] opened an investigation into an armed riot,” Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said in a statement, quoted by Russian news agencies.
The Russian presidency (Kremlin) announced, in turn, that the Russian head of state, Vladimir Putin, is being informed about the conflict between the Russian army and the Wagner group.
The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, quoted by the Tass agency, also assured that the necessary measures are being taken.
The leader of the Wagner paramilitary group on Thursday called for a revolt against Russia’s military high command, stressing that it has 25,000 troops and urged Russians to join them in a “march for justice.”
“We are 25,000 and we are going to determine why chaos reigns in the country (…) Our strategic reserves are the entire army and the entire country,” Yevgeny Prigozhin stressed in an audio message, urging “whoever wants to join” to “put an end to the confusion”
However, Prigozhin defended himself against any “military coup”, claiming to be leading a “march for justice”.
“This is not a military coup, but a march for justice, our actions do not hinder the Armed Forces,” he said in an audio message.
Prigozhin had previously accused the Russian military of carrying out attacks on his mercenary camps, causing “a large number of casualties”, accusations denied by the Russian Defense Ministry.
Prigozhin’s message was accompanied by a video of about a minute, showing a destroyed forest, some fires and at least one soldier’s body.
The Russian army immediately denied having carried out attacks on camps belonging to the Wagner group.
“The messages and videos posted on social media by Prigozhin about alleged attacks by the Russian Defense Ministry on the rear bases of the Wagner paramilitary group do not correspond to reality and are a provocation,” the Russian government said in a statement.
In another reaction, the Wagner leader said the group’s leaders decided it was necessary to stop those who have “military responsibility in the country.”
“Those who resist this will be considered a threat and will be destroyed immediately,” Prigojine added, pledging to “respond” to the alleged attacks.
These strong accusations by Prigozhin expose the deep tensions within Moscow’s forces over the offensive in Ukraine.
The leader of Wagner’s group had mentioned earlier that the Russian army is withdrawing in various sectors of southern and eastern Ukraine, Kherson and Zaporizhia, respectively, and in Bakhmut, contradicting Moscow’s claims that the Kiev counteroffensive was a failure. .
Source: TSF
