Wagner chief says march on Moscow ‘was a masterclass’ in what invasion of Ukraine should have looked like
Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has broken his silence after abandoning an armed uprising on Saturday night, claiming his march on Moscow was a “master class” in what a Russian attack on Kiev should have looked like.
Prigozhin said in an 11-minute audio clip posted on Telegram channels linked to Wagner that he only referred to his group’s attack on the Russian capital to avoid spilling Russian blood. conflict in Ukraine in order not to overthrow the federal government in Moscow.
He described his Wagnerian mercenaries as “perhaps the most experienced and efficient unit in Russia, perhaps the world”, and noted that his personal naval firm had done “tremendous work in the interests of Russia”.
And he claimed he launched the rebellion to “prevent the destruction of the Wagner group”, including being ordered to hand over their weapons to the Russian military and suffering casualties from Russian air pressure raids.
“The aim of the campaign was to prevent the destruction of Wagner’s PMC and to bring to justice those who have committed a large number of mistakes during the special military operation with their unprofessional actions,” Prigozhin said.
“We went to demonstrate our protest, not to overthrow the government in the country.”
This comes despite Medusa’s stories claiming that the mercenary boss desperately called Putin his method for Moscow after realizing he had made a mistake so that the Russian boss would ignore his name and act as a chilling reminder of what it costs.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of naval firm Wagner Group, appears to have gotten out of a fleet car on a road in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023.
Soldiers of the Wagner Group of the Private Military Company (PMC) experience a tank while studying “Siberia” on a road in central Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, on June 24, 2023
Russian publication Meduza claimed that the mercenary boss, identified as Putin (pictured), was frantic about his method to Moscow after realizing he had made a mistake, so that the Russian boss would ignore his name and serve as a chilling reminder that the leadership
Prigozhin further claimed that despite not showing aggression towards Russian troops, the Russian Air Force carried out an aerial bombardment towards his troops, killing 30 people.
He stated that this “was the trigger” that motivated him to order Wagner’s mercenaries to occupy Russian soil.
“We drove 780 kilometers in one day. No soldiers on the ground were killed. We regret that we were forced to strike the (Russian) air force, but they dropped bombs and launched missile attacks.
Wagner’s forces are believed to have killed up to fifteen Russian air force pilots in the attacks.
Prigozhin concluded his statement by saying that he had ordered the troops to halt their advance about 200 km from Moscow, admitting that any further progress would have led to a gun battle and many deaths.
“We stopped just as the first attack unit, approaching 200 kilometers to Moscow, was conducting reconnaissance in the area, and it was clear that a lot of blood would be shed at that time.
“So we thought what we were going to do was enough.”
Wagner’s manager additionally confirmed that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was instrumental in brokering a deal between the Kremlin and Prigozhin that could allow the latter to escape punishment for organizing the uprising.
Lukashenko is said to have sheltered Prigozhin in Minsk to ensure his safety and amnesty for all of Wagner’s troops, who captured half of the southern metropolis of Rostov-on-Don and marched on Moscow.
However, several Russian media reported that the prison investigation against Prigozhin is still ongoing, and some lawmakers are calling for stiff sentences after Putin announced on Saturday that he would punish “traitors who betray Russia.”
Wagner’s manager additionally confirmed that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (pictured) was instrumental in brokering a deal between the Kremlin and Prigozhin, who will likely escape punishment for organizing the rebellion.
Wagner group coal gathered to depart from the headquarters of the Southern Military District on June 24, 2023 and return to its base in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
This image from the video shows civilians standing near fleet vehicles on a road in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023
Prigozhin has long expressed hatred and mistrust of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (heart)
While Wagner’s armed uprising on Russian soil came as a shock to most, Prigozhin’s hatred of the Russian naval command was long established.
Before the uprising, he had lashed out at Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian army chief General Valery Gerasimov for months, attacking them for failing to supply his troops with enough ammunition in the battle for the Ukrainian conflict’s base city of Bakhmut. the longest and bloodiest battle.
Meanwhile, Putin held talks with the leaders of Iran and Qatar on Monday, the Kremlin said in a recorded video message to the latest engineering discussion board, which did not indicate a coup.
It remains unclear what the cracks left by the 24-hour uprising will mean for the conflict in Ukraine, where Western officers believe Russian troop morale is low. Wagner’s troops were important to the Russian victory only on land for several months at Bakhmut.
