The leader of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, revealed in an audio message released Monday that the organization was received with enthusiasm by the Russian citizens he encountered during the march that was to end in Moscow and that many people were disappointed not to doing. reached the capital.
“Russian citizens welcomed us with Russian flags and Wagner emblems. Many are disappointed that we stopped. They saw in us support against bureaucracy and other evils that exist in Russia”he said, assuring that Defense Ministry military personnel joined the Wagner group and that it was not intended to overthrow Putin.
“The aim was not to cause casualties. The aim was to hold accountable people who made various mistakes during the special military operation [na Ucrânia]. The army that saw us and civil society supported us. We stopped when the 1st Assault Company started setting up and conducting reconnaissance operations, which would draw blood. We thought our demonstration was enough and decided to turn back, we didn’t want to shed Russian blood. We just wanted to demonstrate our protest, not overthrow the country’s government.”he explained.
Prigozhin says the march was carried out to “rescue the Wagner group, which was in danger of being liquidated and assimilated by the Defense Ministry”. “We did not sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense. Few Wagner paramilitaries went to the Ministry of Defense”he stressed.
The leader of the mercenary group revealed that the march was moving forward after rocket and helicopter attacks by Russian forces. “About ten Wagner soldiers died and many others were wounded. Then it was decided to advance. I made a statement that we did not want to attack anyone in any way. If we were attacked, we would respond. Throughout the march, from 24 hours “One column went to Rostov and the other to Moscow. No one on the ground was killed. We only regret that we went to attack the air troops, who sent bombs and missiles at us. We covered 750 kilometers in one day. There were still 200 to go. A few kilometers to Moscow. During that time, all military centers along the way were blocked, but no one died.”said.
The president of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, was decisive in putting the brakes on the march.. “At that time, Lukashenko presented us with a route for further work for the Wagner group. The columns returned. Our judicial march showed many things that we had talked about. There are security problems all over the country. We have blocked airports all over the country country”he stressed.
Prigozhin guarantees that if an organization like Wagner had been at the head of the Russian forces, the operation in Ukraine “would have taken days”.
Source: DN
