© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Founding father of the personal mercenary group “Wagner” Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the cemetery earlier than the funeral of Russian navy blogger Maxim Famin, extensively referred to as Vladlen Tatarsky, who was lately killed in an explosion in St. Petersburg.
Andrew Osborne and Kevin Liffey
LONDON (Reuters) – Russia accused mercenary commander Yevgeny Prigozhin of calling for an armed mutiny on Friday after he mentioned with out offering proof that the navy had killed an enormous variety of his fighters in an airstrike and vowed to punish them.
The standoff, a lot of whose particulars stay unclear, gave the impression to be the most important home disaster President Vladimir Putin has confronted since he ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine final February – what he referred to as a “particular navy operation”.
Attributable to the truth that the confrontation between the founding father of the “Wagner” PMC Prigozhin and the Ministry of Protection appeared to have reached a degree, the division issued an announcement saying that Prigozhin’s accusations “don’t correspond to actuality and are an informational provocation.”
Prigozhin referred to as his actions not a navy coup. However in a frantic sequence of audio messages, wherein the pitch of his voice diversified at occasions and couldn’t be independently verified, he recommended his 25,000-strong militia was on its solution to unseat the management of the protection ministry in Moscow.
He mentioned: “Those that destroyed our boys, who destroyed the lives of many tens of 1000’s of Russian troopers, might be punished. I ask that nobody resist …
“There are 25,000 of us, and we’ll discover out why the nation is in chaos,” he mentioned, vowing to battle any checkpoints or air pressure standing in Wagner’s means.
“We’ll take care of anybody who tries to counter the threats and shortly destroy them,” he mentioned.
Safety measures are being strengthened in Moscow, the TASS information company reported, specializing in crucial state services and infrastructure of the capital.
Earlier on Friday, Prigozhin appeared to have crossed a brand new line in his more and more bitter spat with the ministry, saying the Kremlin’s justification for invading Ukraine was based mostly on lies concocted by the military’s high brass.
The Inner Safety Service of the FSB introduced that it had opened a felony case in opposition to him for calling for an armed riot, which is punishable by as much as 20 years in jail.
“Prigozhin’s statements are the truth is requires the beginning of an armed civil battle on the territory of Russia, and his actions are a ‘stab within the again’ to Russian troopers who’re combating pro-fascist Ukrainian forces,” the FSB mentioned.
“We name on… fighters to not make irreparable errors, to cease any violent actions in opposition to the Russian folks, to not perform the felony and treasonous orders of Prigozhin, to take measures to arrest him.”
The Kremlin mentioned that Putin had been knowledgeable and that “essential measures are being taken.”
THE GENERALS MAKE BEAUTIFUL TO CHANGE THEIR THINKING
Military Lieutenant Common Uladzimir Alekseev made a video message wherein he requested Prigozhin to rethink his actions.
“Solely the president has the correct to nominate the highest management of the armed forces, and you are attempting to encroach on his authority,” he mentioned.
Common Sergei Surovikin, deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, whom Prigozhin has praised up to now, referred to as on Wagner to “cease” in a separate video.
“The enemy is simply ready for our inside political scenario to deteriorate,” mentioned Surovikin.
“It’s not too late, but it surely have to be carried out, it’s essential to obey the need and order of the Folks’s President of the Russian Federation. Cease the convoys and return them to the locations of everlasting deployment,” he mentioned.
Prigozhin, whose males led the seizure of the Ukrainian metropolis of Bakhmut final month, has for months overtly accused Protection Minister Sergei Shayga and Russian Common Valery Gerasimov of incompetence within the ranks and of denying Wagner ammunition and assist.
The Protection Division has – till now – largely ignored his criticism, not less than publicly.
An unverified video posted on a Telegram channel near Wagner confirmed the alleged scene of an airstrike on Wagner’s forces. It confirmed a forest the place small fires have been burning and timber that appeared to have been damaged by pressure. There gave the impression to be one physique, however there isn’t any additional direct proof of an assault.
It had the caption: “A rocket assault was carried out on the Wagner PMC camps. Many victims. In response to eyewitnesses, the blow was delivered from the rear, that’s, it was delivered by the Russian navy. Ministry of Protection”.
Prigozhin tried to make use of Wagner’s navy success, achieved at monumental human value, to publicly criticize Moscow with seemingly impunity – till now.
However on Friday, he rejected for the primary time Putin’s essential justifications for invading Ukraine on February 24 final yr.
“The battle was essential… for Shaigu to develop into a marshal… for him to get a second “Hero” [of Russia] medal,” Prigozhin mentioned within the video. “The battle was not essential for the demilitarization or denazification of Ukraine.”
Marat Gabidulin, a former Wagner commander who moved to France when Russia invaded Ukraine, instructed Reuters that Wagner fighters would doubtless be with Prigozhin.
“We regarded down on the military for a very long time… In fact, they assist him, he’s their chief,” he mentioned.
“They won’t hesitate (to battle the military) if anybody stands of their means.”
