On June 24, 2023, the head of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced and vowed to topple the Russian Military leadership whom he accused of launching strikes on his men.
In an audio message, the 62-year-old Prigozhin said- “We are going onwards, and we will go to the end. We will destroy everything that comes our way.” This is a direct challenge to the Russian regime under President Vladimir Putin, who calls the Wagner Rebellion a ‘betrayal’
The Russian military, law enforcement and authorities have tightened security in several regions in the wake of the warning announced by the Wagner Chief. As per the TASS, the Russian news agency, a large number of military vehicles and troop deployments have been seen in central Moscow.
Prigozhin called on all the Russians to join his forces and punish the military leadership of the Putin government.
The Wagner Group, officially known as PMC Wagner, is a Russian paramilitary organisation that operates beyond the law in Russia. It is basically a private military company and a network of mercenaries. This force was seen for the first time in 2014 while backing pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.
It was a secretive organisation that operated mostly in Africa and the Middle East. According to the media reports, the group was thought to have 5000 fighters from Russia’s elite regiments and special forces. The UK Ministry of Defence stated that the Wagner group now comprises 50,000 fighters in Ukraine and has become a key component of the Ukraine campaign, according to BBC reports.
Prigozhin’s company was called the Wagner after the nickname of its first commander, Dmitry Utkin, a retired lieutenant colonel of the Russian Military Special Forces. It has a reputation for being extremely brutal and ruthless. The Wagner Group was involved in the capture of Bakhmut City situated in eastern Ukraine. He has also captured key cities such as Popasana, Lysynchansk.
As per the UN Experts and Western Nations, this mercenary group has committed numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. The Central African Republic invited the Wagner group to guard diamond mines, and it is thought to be guarding gold mines in Sudan.
In January 2023, Wagner chief Prigozhin took the entire credit for capturing the Donetsk region, a salt mining town of Soledar and Ukraine. It also accused the Russian Defence Ministry of trying to steal Wagner’s glory.
According to the Associated Press Reports, He has repeatedly complained that the Russian military failed to provide him with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut and threatened to pull out his men. Troops purported to be Wagner contractors in Ukraine recorded a video in which they showed General Gerasimov with curses and accusations of failing to provide ammunition.
He has also singled out Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu for withering criticism while accusing Russian Military leaders of incompetence, and his frequent complaints are unprecedented for Russia’s tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism.
Another reason why the Wagner Group is also targeting the Russian Military leadership is that Russia has conducted missile strikes at the rear camps. A large number of his fighters and comrades have died. Prigozhin has clarified that this is not a military coup but a march for justice.
The Wagner Forces have taken control of the Southern Military District building in Rostov. They have seized the buildings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Russian authorities have urged residents of Rostov to stay at home. The Moscow mayor said, “Anti-Terror Measures were taken in the Russian capital after the mercenary chief vowed down to destroy the Russian Military Leadership.
The Russian Federal Security Service has opened a criminal case against him and has called on all the Wagner Military Company forces to ignore the orders and arrest Prigozhin. However, anti-Putin figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky has urged Russians to support Prigozhin, saying it is important to back even the devil if he decides to take on Kremlin.
