Russian President Vladimir Putin is being “continuously informed” of the situation following the announcement of an armed rebellion by the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
“Special services, law enforcement, that is, the Ministry of Defense, the FSB [serviço de segurança]the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Guard, continuously inform the President about the measures taken to put into practice the instructions they have been given,” spokesman for the presidency Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.
Prior to these latest statements, Peskov had indicated that the Russian attorney general had personally informed President Vladimir Putin of an investigation for “armed rebellion” opened after the call by the head of the Wagner paramilitary group for a rebellion against the General Staff of the Armed forces. .
Prosecutor Igor Krasnov “submitted a report to Vladimir Putin in the context of opening a criminal investigation related to the attempt to organize an armed rebellion,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
In Washington, a White House spokesman said the situation was being monitored and specified that President Joe Biden had been informed.
“We are monitoring the situation and will consult with our allies and partners on these developments,” White House National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said.
The head of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, for his part, announced that his private army had crossed the Russian border in the Rostov region, in the south of the country, and said he was ready to “go all the way” after calling the rebellion against the country’s military command.
“We crossed the state border in all places. The border guards came out and hugged our fighters. Now we are entering Rostov,” he said in an audio broadcast on his Telegram channel.
Prigozhin also assured that he is determined to “go to the end” and “destroy everything that gets” in his path.
“We continue and go to the end,” said the owner of the paramilitary group, which claimed to have 25,000 combatants.
Earlier, the Russian news agency Tass announced the establishment of security measures in Moscow following Prigozhin’s call for a revolt against the Defense Ministry.
“Security measures in Moscow have been tightened, the most important places are under heightened security” as well as “state agencies and transport infrastructure,” the head of the Russian security forces told Tass.
The Russian Defense Ministry also said that Ukrainian forces were preparing to attack near the city of Bakhmut (eastern Ukraine) “taking advantage” of the chaos caused by Prigozhin’s call for rebellion.
“Taking advantage of Prigozhin’s provocation to destabilize the situation, the Kiev regime is regrouping units of the 35th and 36th Rifle Brigades for offensive actions” in the Bakhmut area, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, assuring that the forces Ukrainians are being attacked by Russian aviation and artillery.
Previously, the FBS had announced an investigation 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 an uprising against Russia’s military high command, noting that it has 25,000 soldiers and urging 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,” Prigozhin 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
