‘Betrayal’: Russian President Putin vows to crush Wagner rebels

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation on Saturday and vowed to defend the country and its people from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Putin said the rebellion posed a “deadly threat to our state” and vowed “tough action” in response. “All those who prepare for rebellion will have to face the inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders, ”said Putin. He called Prigozhin’s actions “betrayal” and “treason”, without naming the owner of the Wagner private military company. He urged that “those who are being dragged into this crime do not make the fatal and tragic, unique mistake.” , the only right option is to choose – to stop participating in criminal acts.

Putin condemned the uprising at a time when Russia was “fighting the toughest battle for its future” with the war in Ukraine. “The entire military, economic and information machinery of the West has been turned against us,” Putin said. “This fight, when the fate of our people is being decided, calls for unification, unity, consolidation and responsibility of all forces Needed.” The armed rebellion at such a time is “a blow to Russia, its people,” the president said. “Those who plotted and organized an armed rebellion, who took up arms against their comrades, betrayed Russia. And they will respond to it, ”said Putin.

The owner of the Wagner private military contractor who called for an armed uprising aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister confirmed Saturday morning that he and his troops have arrived in a major Russian city after crossing the border from Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry condemned the action as a “criminal enterprise” and called on the Wagner fighters to return to their deployment point. The ministry said it would ensure their safety.

Yevgeny Prigozhin posted a video of himself in Rostov-on-Don, the Russian military headquarters overseeing the fighting in Ukraine. He claimed that the city had military facilities, including an airfield, under his army’s control. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets outside.

Prigozhin said early Saturday that his forces had entered Russia from Ukraine and reached Rostov, adding that he had encountered no resistance from young soldiers at checkpoints and that his forces were “not fighting against children”. ” “But we will destroy anyone who comes in our way,” he said in a series of angry videos and audio recordings posted on social media since late Friday. “We are moving forward and will move forward till the end.”

Russia’s security services sought Prigozhin’s arrest in response to his declaration of an armed rebellion. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, officials announced an “anti-terrorist regime” in Moscow and around the capital, allowing enhanced security and restricted freedoms, and increased security in Moscow .

It was not immediately clear how he was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many soldiers were with him. Prigozhin alleged that the Wagner field camps in Ukraine were attacked with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Chief of the General Staff General Valery Gerasimov after a meeting in Rostov with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, in which he told Wagner decided to destroy. , He also said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that had fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of this.

Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion, and urged the army not to resist: “This is not a military coup, but a march of justice.” Although the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared that it could further hinder Moscow’s war effort as Kiev’s forces were probing Russian defenses in the early stages of a counter-offensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin prevails, could also have an impact on President Vladimir Putin and his ability to maintain a united front.

Wagner forces played a key role in Russia’s war in Ukraine, succeeding in capturing the town of Bakhmut where the bloodiest and longest fighting took place. But Prigozhin has criticized Russia’s military authorities, accusing them of incompetence and depriving its troops of arms and ammunition. On Friday, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, accused Prigozhin of calling for an armed insurrection, which could carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

The FSB urged Wagner’s contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to obey his “criminal and treacherous orders”. It called his statements “stabbing Russian soldiers in the back” and said they tantamount to promoting armed conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was informed of the situation and “all necessary measures are being taken.” On Saturday morning he said Putin would address the nation “soon”.

Heavy military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers with assault rifles were deployed outside the main Defense Ministry building. The area around the Presidential Administration near Red Square was blocked off, disrupting traffic. But despite the growing military presence, the city’s bars and restaurants were packed with customers. In a club near the FSB headquarters, people were dancing on the street near the entrance.

Prigozhin, whose dispute with the Defense Ministry dates back years, refused to comply with a requirement that military contractors sign contracts with the ministry before 1 July. In a statement late Friday, he said he was ready to compromise but “they treacherously betrayed us.” He said, “Today they launched a rocket attack on our rear camps and a large number of our comrades were killed.” The Ministry of Defense denied the attack on the Wagner camps.

“The evil being perpetrated by the country’s military leadership must be stopped,” he shouted. Colonel General Sergei Surovikin, deputy commander of the Russian group fighting in Ukraine, urged Wagner forces to stop any moves against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russia’s enemies, who are “waiting to see “The Deterioration of Our Domestic Political Situation.”

Tatiana Stanovaya, a political analyst, predicted that this would be the end of Prigozhin. He tweeted, “Now that the state is actively involved, there is no turning back.” “The end is near for Prigozhin and Wagner. Now the only possibility is complete destruction, the only variable being the degree of resistance of the Wagner Group. Surovikin was sent to persuade them to surrender. Confrontation seems completely futile.”

A top military official, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, described Prigozhin’s move as “madness” that threatened civil war. “It is like backstabbing the country and the President. …Only enemies of Russia can do such provocations,” he said. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Ukraine was concentrating troops for an attack around Bakhmut to take advantage of “Prigozhin’s provocation”. It said Russian artillery and warplanes were firing on Ukrainian forces as they were preparing to launch an offensive.

The Institute for the Study of War in Washington said, “The violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would do irreparable damage to the stability of Putin’s perceived grip on power.” At the White House, National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said: “We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments.”

A Russian missile attack killed at least two people and wounded eight in Kiev on Saturday after debris fell on several floors of a 24-story apartment building in the central district, the head of the city’s military administration said. Serhiy Popko posted on Telegram. He said more than 20 missiles were detected and destroyed. Video from the scene showed flames engulfing the upper floors of the building and the parking lot strewn with ash and debris.