Wagner Group rebellion

Wagner Group rebellion
Part of the Spillover of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Military situation in Russia[note 1]
Date23–24 June 2023 (1 day)
Location
Russia
Result Wagner forces stopped their advance on June 24,[6] started their withdrawal at 11:00 pm (GMT+3)
Territorial
changes		 Wagner Group captures Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh[12]
Belligerents

PMC Wagner
Supported by:
Rusich Group[1]

Storm-Z (partial)[2][3]

Government of Russia

Supported by:

Belarus
Commanders and leaders

Dmitry Utkin

Alexander Lukashenko

Strength
25,000 (according to Prigozhin)[13] ~200 Kadyrovites
Casualties and losses
One UAZ technical destroyed[14]

15 killed
6 helicopters shot down

Lacks sources and information

On 23 June 2023, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said that soldiers of the Russian Ministry of Defense were attacking his soldiers. Prigozhin promised to take revenge on the Ministry of Defense.[15] Prigozhin said the "evil" military leaders must be stopped and said he would "march for justice".[16]

Prigozhin also said that Russia's reasons for invading Ukraine were lies and that Ukraine and NATO were not planning an attack on the Donbas and Crimea in 2022.[17] He said Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Minister of Defence, was making Russia lose in the war.[18] He also said the military attacked the Wagner Group. The Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case against him after these statements.[19][20] Prigozhin took his 25,000 soldiers[21] out of Ukraine and into Rostov-on-Don in Rostov Oblast, Russia.[22] He said, "If anyone gets in our way, we will destroy everything!"[23] Putin responded to PMC Wagner's attack by saying its actions were "treason" and a "stab in the back".[24]

Background

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Wagner Group and Yevgeny Prigozhin

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Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group

In 2014, Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin founded the Wagner Group. It is a Russian private military company.[17] Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner Group got more influence in the military. The estimated number of Wagnerites grew from "several thousand" fighters in 2017–2018 to around 50,000 fighters by January 2023.[25]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

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According to news website Meduza, right before a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Prigozhin had tense relations with the Russian leadership. Prigozhin criticized Sergei Shoigu for the actions of the Russian army in Syria. He said that the Russian military was using "outdated methods."

The growth of the influence of Wagner Group was because the first Russian plans failed to quickly beat Ukraine. In the first months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army lost many soldiers. The Russian leaders began to recruit mercenaries to fight for Russia. Prigozhin was given many resources. He able to recruit prisoners into Wagner. PMC Wagner became a private army for Prigozhin. The Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian General Staff did not like this began trying to limit Prigozhin's growing influence.[25] Prigozhin began to criticize the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.[19] On 5 June, Prigozhin showed a video on his social media channels claiming to show a captured Russian colonel, Lt. Colonel Roman Venevitin of Russia’s 72nd Brigade, admitting to have told his troops to attack Wagner troops.[20][21][23][26]

Timeline

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23 June

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On 23 June 2023, a video was shown in Telegram channels for PMC Wagner. According to Prigozhin, it had been recorded at a Wagner Group mercenary camp that had been attacked by a missile.[27] Bellingcat journalist Arik Toler said that the place of the alleged attack is the same as earlier videos of war correspondent Alexander Simonov, who went to the camp.[28] That evening, Prigozhin announced the beginning of an armed conflict with the Ministry of Defense. The message showed up in the Telegram channel of his press service. Prigozhin told anyone who wanted to join the conflict against the Ministry of Defense to do so. He also said that Shoigu had used artillery and helicopters to attack PMC Wagner.[29]

The Russian Defense Ministry said they didn't attack PMC Wagner.[30] After that, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation said that a criminal case had been started against Prigozhin under Article 279 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (armed rebellion).[31] Generals Sergey Surovikin and Vladimir Alekseev tried to tell the Wagner PMC fighters to stop.[32]

Russia's state-run First Channel announced an "emergency newscast". In it, the host Ekaterina Andreeva claimed that Prigozhin's statements about attacks by the Ministry of Defence on PMC Wagner were fake and that Putin had been told about the situation.[33]

In response to Prigozhin, Russia's military and its national guard deployed armored vehicles in both Moscow and Rostov-on-Don. Rostov-on-Don is a large city near the frontlines in Ukraine where PMC Wagner troops had been attacking from. It is also where Prigozhin had said that PMC Wagner troops were going to.[34]

During the night from 23 to 24 June, Prigozhin claimed that PMC Wagner was going into Rostov-on-Don and told forces of Ministry of Defence not to oppose his army.[35]

Prigozhin also claimed on 23 June that the head of the General Staff of Russian military had told the country's air force to attack PMC Wagner soldiers, who were moving next to civilian vehicles. He said the General Staff didn't care about the lives of innocent people, "just as they have been killing their own population for a year and half instead of fighting the enemy". He also claimed that some pilots refused to follow the General Staff's orders, and thanked them.[36]

Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said the situation was an "attempted mutiny" and said that Russia's military agencies were telling Putin about the events.[37]

Russia blocked Google News because of the situation.[38]

24 June

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On 24 June, Prigozhin claimed that Wagner PMC fighters shot down a military helicopter that opened fire on Wagner.[36]

Unconfirmed footage showed a battle in Rostov-on-Don between Wagner and Russian military forces.[39][non-primary source needed]

On 24 June 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin was charged by the Russian government with organizing an armed uprising after he threatened to attack Russian forces in answer to an air strike on his soldiers. Russian security forces said he was launching a coup. Russian generals told Wagner's fighters to go back. Meanwhile Russia's national security service, FSB, said it had filed criminal charges against Prigozhin and moved to arrest him.[40]

According to Russian state media reports, and some Western media, Wagner Group forces have taken control of the Southern Military District building in Rostov.[41][7]

Yevgeny Prigozhin released a video showing him in the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don. He said that all military buildings in the city were under control of PMC Wagner. Prigozhin also said they had taken the city's military airport.[42]

Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, announced that anti-terrorist actions were being used in the federal city of Moscow.[43]

Rostov-on-Don is connected to Moscow by the M-4 Highway. There have been reports of Wagner troops using the highway to get closer to Moscow.[44] The governments of Lipetsk Oblast and Voronezh Oblast have told all civilians to stay inside after reports of fighting along the highway.[45][46][47] The company Avtodor, which manages Russian highways, told civilians to stay off the M-4 highway on Telegram.[48] The Russian news agency TASS said that traffic was blocked on the M-4 and that cars were being turned around.

Social media posts showed videos of fighting between Wagner PMC troops and Russian military in Voronezh, with Reuters showing Russian military reports.[7][49][50][51] Voronezh is halfway between Rostov and Moscow.[7][49]

According to reports, the PMC Wagner has taken control of all military buildings in Voronezh.[52][53][54] After this, a state of counter-terrorism started in Voronezh, similar to the one in Moscow.[55]

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the country for the first time since the beginning of the rebellion in a televised address. He said the actions of the PMC Wagner were "treason" and he promised to take "harsh steps" to get rid of the rebellion. Putin said that the fighting was a threat to Russia itself. He said the rebellion was a "stab in the back". He compared the rebellion to the 1917 Russian Revolution.[24]

On the 24th June, at approximately 17:30 UTC, the first reports of a peace deal arose. In them, Prigozhin allegedly stated that he has "made his point" and that the Wagner column en route to Moscow was turning around and heading back to field camps. It was rumoured that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was a mediator and a third party to the negotiations between the Russian Government and the Wagner Group.

Peace Deal

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In the afternoon, the citizens of Moscow have all been panicking because of the rebellion. The mayor of Moscow had earlier announced to all citizens of Moscow to “Stay at homes at all times without leaving and travelling around the city.”

When late evening was coming in Russia, whilst Moscow was in panic and the Wagner tanks were a 4-hour drive from Moscow, ready to take the capital, Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that his troops are “halting”, and turning back to avoid “bloodshed”. Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus said that there were day-long negotiations between him and Prigozhin, until finally a deal was made.

Later on in the night of 24/25 June 2023, Prigozhin, under the conditions of the deal, was told that he shall not face criminal charges, and instead, move to Belarus, to Alexander Lukashenko.

Russian President Vladimir Putin during his address to the nation about the Wagner Group rebellion
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Notes

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  1. ↑ Wagner presence reported in: Rostov,[4] Voronezh, Yelets[5]

References

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  1. ↑ "Неонацисти з ДШРГ «Русич» підтримали військовий заколот Пригожина". Новини України. 2023-06-24. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  2. ↑ "Отряд "Шторм Z" с передовой Запорожского фронта заявил о поддержке Путина". Life.ru (in Russian). 2023-06-24. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  3. ↑ "Russia Coup LIVE: Private jets flown out of Moscow towards St Petersburg, reports say – Wagner-alike 'Storm Z' extends support for Prigozhin". Hindustan Times. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Khavin, Dmitriy; Kerr, Sarah; Mellen, Riley; Xiao, Muyi (24 June 2023). "Wagner Chief Prigozhin Appears in Videos at a Russian Military Headquarters". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "Crybar reports Wagner troops have passed Yelets and are now 340 km from Moscow". Twitter. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023. Geolocation
  6. ↑ Krebs, Katharina; Hodge, Nathan (24 June 2023). "Prigozhin says his forces "are turning our columns around," amid claims of deal brokered by Lukashenko". CNN. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Slisco, Aila (23 June 2023). "Did Wagner Group take over military headquarters? What we know". Newsweek. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  8. ↑ "'Wagnerites' seize military facilities in Voronezh – media". Ukrinform. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  9. ↑ "Rebel Russian mercenaries will turn back to avoid bloodshed, leader says". Reuters. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "Video: Russian army helicopters open fire on Wagner military convoy near Voronezh". Al Arabiya. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  11. ↑ "'Russian air strike on Wagner' convoy heading to Moscow as 'civilians welcome mercenaries in Rostov". London Business. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  12. ↑ .[4][7][8][9][10][11]
  13. ↑ Williams, Tom; Nancarrow, Dan (24 June 2023). "Live: Wagner fighters allegedly march into Russia, with leader vowing to go 'all the way' against military". ABC News. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  14. ↑ "Chef's Special – Documenting Equipment Losses During The 2023 Wagner Group Mutiny". Oryxspioenkop. June 24, 2023. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023.
  15. ↑ Osborn, Andrew; Liffey, Kevin (23 June 2023). "Russia accuses mercenary boss of mutiny after he says Moscow killed 2,000 of his men". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  16. ↑ Cooney, Christy; Seales, Rebecca (23 June 2023). "Russia accuses Wagner chief of urging 'armed mutiny'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Farberov, Snejana (2023-06-05). "Russian officer captured, accused of firing on mercenaries". New York Post. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  18. ↑ "Wagner Captures Russian Soldier Accused of Firing on Its Positions". The Moscow Times. 2023-06-05. Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Sauer, Pjotr (2023-06-23). "Wagner chief accuses Moscow of lying to public about Ukraine". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "'We need to take a page from North Korea's book' Evgeny Prigozhin speaks even more frankly than usual in new 77-minute interview". Meduza (in Russian). 2023-05-24. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 «Часть предателей отсиживается в кабинетах»: Евгений Пригожин назвал категорию людей, которых считает предателями России. Nevnov.ru (in Russian). 2022-11-14. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  22. ↑ "Leader of Wagner mercenaries says forces entered Russian city of Rostov facing no resistance". PBS NewsHour. 2023-06-23. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Prigozhin zayavil, chto Minoborony RF udarilo po pozitsiyam CHVK Vagnera. «Eta tvar' budet ostanovlena», — skazal Prigozhin o Shoygu" Пригожин заявил, что Минобороны РФ ударило по позициям ЧВК Вагнера. «Эта тварь будет остановлена», — сказал Пригожин о Шойгу [Prigozhin said that the Russian Defense Ministry hit the positions of the Wagner PMC. “This creature will be stopped,” said Prigozhin about Shoigu]. Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Путин назвал мятеж Пригожина «предательством» и «изменой»". Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2023-06-29. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Блеф или военный мятеж? Что означает ультиматум Евгения Пригожина". belsat.eu. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  26. ↑ "Wagner Captures Russian Soldier Accused of Firing on Its Positions". The Moscow Times. 2023-06-05. Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  27. ↑ "Prigozhin zayavil, chto Minoborony RF udarilo po pozitsiyam CHVK Vagnera. «Eta tvar' budet ostanovlena», — skazal Prigozhin o Shoygu" Пригожин заявил, что Минобороны РФ ударило по позициям ЧВК Вагнера. «Эта тварь будет остановлена», — сказал Пригожин о Шойгу [Prigozhin said that the Russian Defense Ministry hit the positions of the Wagner PMC. “This creature will be stopped,” said Prigozhin about Shoigu]. Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  28. ↑ Toler, Aric (23 June 2023). "Site of Alleged Wagner Camp Attack Recently Visited by War Blogger". Bellingcat. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  29. ↑ "Vystupleniye Prigozhina zvuchit kak ob"yavleniye o nachale voyennogo perevorota (khotya, kazhetsya, perevoroty nachinayutsya ne s etogo) Vot chto on skazal. Polnaya rasshifrovka" Выступление Пригожина звучит как объявление о начале военного переворота (хотя, кажется, перевороты начинаются не с этого) Вот что он сказал. Полная расшифровка [Prigozhin's speech sounds like an announcement about the beginning of a military coup (although it seems that coups do not begin with this) Here's what he said. Full transcript]. Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  30. ↑ "FSB vozbudila protiv Yevgeniya Prigozhina delo o prizyvakh k myatezhu" ФСБ возбудила против Евгения Пригожина дело о призывах к мятежу [FSB opened a case against Yevgeny Prigozhin for incitement to rebellion]. Радио Свобода (in Russian). 23 June 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  31. ↑ "FSB vozbudila ugolovnoye delo o prizyvakh k vooruzhennomu myatezhu posle zayavleniy Prigozhina o yego «marshe spravedlivosti» v Rossii" ФСБ возбудила уголовное дело о призывах к вооруженному мятежу после заявлений Пригожина о его «марше справедливости» в России [The FSB opened a criminal case on calls for an armed rebellion after Prigozhin's statements about his "march of justice" in Russia]. Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  32. ↑ ""Poka ne pozdno, nuzhno ostanovit' kolonny i podchinit'sya vole prezidenta». General Surovikin prizval boytsov CHVK Vagnera «reshit' voprosy mirnym putem"" "Пока не поздно, нужно остановить колонны и подчиниться воле президента». Генерал Суровикин призвал бойцов ЧВК Вагнера «решить вопросы мирным путем" ["Before it's too late, you need to stop the columns and obey the will of the president." General Surovikin called on the Wagner PMC fighters "to resolve issues peacefully"]. Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  33. ↑ "On Channel One there was an emergency newscast about Prigozhin and Wagner PMC". West Observer. 23 June 2023. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  34. ↑ "Russian Generals Accuse Mercenary Leader of Trying to Mount a Coup". The New York Times. 23 June 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  35. ↑ "Prigozhin zayavil, chto «my vkhodim v Rostov». Etomu net dokazatel'stv" Пригожин заявил, что «мы входим в Ростов». Этому нет доказательств [Prigogine said that "we are entering Rostov." There is no evidence for this]. Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Wagner Chief Claims His Forces Downed Russian Military Helicopter". Barrons.com. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  37. ↑ "Peskov rasskazal, kak Putin sledit za myatezhom Prigozhina" Песков рассказал, как Путин следит за мятежом Пригожина [Peskov told how Putin is following Prigozhin's rebellion]. URA News (in Russian). Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  38. ↑ Grant, Nico (23 June 2023). "Russia blocks Google News amid growing feud with mercenary leader". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  39. ↑ @WarMonitors (24 June 2023). "⚡️Unverified video published by Ukrainian and Russian sources supposedly showing fights between Russia and Wagner forces in Rostov" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  40. ↑ Seddon, Max (24 June 2023). "Russia charges Wagner leader with organising an armed uprising". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  41. ↑ "Military coup in Russia? Wagner mercenary group takes control of military building in Rostov, Moscow on high alert". Business Today. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  42. ↑ Regan, Helen; Raine, Andrew (24 June 2023). "Wagner chief claims to have seized control of key military facilities in 2 Russian cities". CNN. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  43. ↑ Bivings, Lili (24 June 2023). "Moscow mayor says 'anti-terrorist measures' being taken in city". The Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  44. ↑ Bisset, Victoria (24 June 2023). "Wagner units traveling north through Voronezh probably heading to Moscow, U.K. says". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  45. ↑ "LIVE: Moscow accuses Wagner head of mutiny, after he vows to oust military leadership". France 24. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  46. ↑ "Russia-Ukraine war live: Wagner forces 'control' Rostov army HQ". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  47. ↑ Soni, Shubham (24 June 2023). "Has Wagner Group reached Voronezh, reports of fighting in Oblast halfway between Moscow and Rostov | Watch Video". opoyi. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  48. ↑ Lister, Tim (24 June 2023). "Major Russian highway disrupted amid reports of Wagner presence". CNN. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Soni, Shubham (2023-06-24). "Has Wagner Group reached Voronezh, reports of fighting in Oblast halfway between Moscow and Rostov | Watch Video". Opoyi. Archived from the original on 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  50. ↑ Livemint (2023-06-24). "Wagner army takes control of millitary units in Voronezh. Russia-Ukraine LIVE". mint. Archived from the original on 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  51. ↑ "Wagner controls military facilities in Voronezh, 500 km south of Moscow". Deccan Herald. 2023-06-24. Archived from the original on 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  52. ↑ Osborn, Andrew; Liffey, Kevin (24 June 2023). "Russian mercenary boss Prigozhin in standoff with Russian army amid 'armed mutiny'". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  53. ↑ "Reuters: ЧВК Вагнера захватила военные объекты в Воронеже". Meduza (in Russian). 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  54. ↑ Regan, Helen; Raine, Andrew (24 June 2023). "Russia accuses Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin of urging "armed rebellion": Live updates". CNN. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  55. ↑ "In the Russian Federation, Prigozhin has taken over Voronezh and Rostov. Putin declares counter-terrorism operation". en.socportal.info. 2023-06-24. Archived from the original on 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
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