Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has confirmed that he ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their bases in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood.

“We are returning our columns and heading in the opposite direction to the encampments according to plan,” an audio message said on his Telegram feed.

Prigozhin’s announcement seemed to defuse a growing crisis. Moscow had been preparing for the arrival of the private army led by the rebel commander, and President Vladimir Putin had vowed he would face harsh consequences.

Prigozhin said that while his men were only 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to prevent “Russian blood from being spilled.”

He did not say whether the Kremlin has responded to his calls to overthrow Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.

The deal could lead to the replacement of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff General Valery Gerasimov, a key Prigozhin demand.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has confirmed that he ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow to avoid shedding Russian blood

A Russian policeman guards Red Square near the Kremlin as forces prepare to attack before Prigozhin’s forces spectacularly retreat

A Russian soldier occupies a machine gun post in southern Moscow before the expected arrival of Prigozhin and the Wagner troops. But Prigozhin has confirmed that he ordered his mercenaries to stop their march

Belarusian President and key Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko (pictured) said Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted his proposal to halt the Wagner Group’s advance towards Moscow

The shocking announcement follows a statement from the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, which said it had brokered a deal with Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Putin.

Prigozhin has accepted Lukashenko’s offer to halt the Wagner group’s advance and take further steps to de-escalate tensions, Lukashenko’s office said, adding that the proposed settlement included security guarantees for the Wagner troops. It was not elaborated upon.

The surprising development comes after a day of utter chaos in Moscow as the city prepared for war by sealing hatches while soldiers set up outposts and military vehicles flooded the streets.

According to reports, a total of 5,000 Wagner forces were advancing towards the capital before the U-turn and were due to advance as far as Lipetsk tonight.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is said to have a total of 25,000 men at his disposal, another 5,000 of whom were in Rostov-on-Don, the southern key city for Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Prigozhin claims to have brought under his control.

The convoy, which was slowly moving towards Moscow, is said to have been led by Supreme Commander Wagner and neo-Nazi Dmitri Utkin. According to one source, Wagner’s plan for Moscow was to set up positions in a densely built-up area.

A series of restrictions were put in place around the Russian capital by decree of the governor, ordering people to refrain from traveling through Moscow.

This comes after Prigozhin initiated an overnight military coup against Kremlin leaders, in which the group took key cities and threatened the president, who labeled them “traitors.”

Earlier, Putin addressed the Russian people and warned that Prigozhin had “stabbed him in the back” as Moscow goes into lockdown and troops dig in to prepare to defend the city.

A spokesman for the Russian President said Putin is still at work in the Kremlin and has not fled Moscow given the earlier threat. However, two presidential jets were seen flying from Moscow towards St. Petersburg. It is said to have turned off its transponder to prevent tracking the route.

Armored vehicles are considered security measures in Moscow

Machine gun outposts are being hastily erected on the outskirts of Moscow

Prigozhin’s shocking announcement comes after his feared 25,000-strong Wagner militia took control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, saying they were “ready to die” for their “Justice March” and were up heading north in a convoy of hundreds of armored vehicles.

The unit had previously crossed half the city of Voronezh and on its way to Moscow soon approached Lipetsk, where it encountered hardly any resistance worth mentioning.

A message published on the Wagner Telegram channel on Saturday said: “Putin made the wrong choice.” All the worse for him. “Soon we will have a new president.”

Footage posted on social media showed large convoys of troops heading north from Voronezh, believed to be Wagner mercenaries. They are also said to be heading to other important cities such as Krasnodar and Volgograd.

Russia responded by tightening security in Moscow, mobilizing troops to defend against the invasion, and calling for the military to rally around President Putin.

All public events have been canceled and Monday has already been declared a non-working day as Putin called Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s close ally to update him on the situation.

Moscow’s mayor has urged people not to take trips around the city, saying the situation is “difficult” and “city services are on high alert”.

Sergey Sobyanin also urged residents not to go to work on Monday to “minimise risks”. This came as part of the announcement of an “anti-terrorist operation” in the city.

A line of armored vehicles can be seen as Russian forces prepare to defend the capital

A traffic cop checks a car next to an armored personnel carrier (APC)

Russian troops were seen setting up positions at a bridge over the Oka River

Meanwhile, pro-Putin forces could be seen fighting on the outskirts of the city against the Wagner putschist army en route to the capital.

The photo shows Russian troops setting up their positions at a bridge over the Oka River. They used barrage equipment, machine guns and grenade launchers while military helicopters flew over the city.

Other photos showed soldiers setting up barricades and machine gun nests just outside the city while Putin signed legislation allowing people to be detained for up to 30 days in areas where a marshal is deployed – not that this would have happened so far.

Russian officials have also ordered roads in the convoy’s path blocked by large, heavy trucks to slow it down.

Travel has also been restricted to regions closest to Moscow, most recently in the Kalugia region. Traffic on the region’s roads will be restricted near the adjacent regions of Tula, Bryansk, Orel and Smolensk

Eyewitnesses also reported air raids on the Wagner convoy heading north.

Shortly after this became known, Prigozhin claimed that it was hit by Russian attacks and shelling from helicopters.

“We were shelled: first with artillery strikes and then with helicopters,” Prigozhin said in a Telegram post. Online video footage is said to show an artillery attack on an armored vehicle in the Wagner move.

Prigozhin was once known as “Putin’s cook” – now the Wagner boss seems to be waging war against the Kremlin

Footage showed an apparent Russian missile hitting a civilian bus today as Wagner troops slowly made their way up the M-4 highway. Prigozhin claimed the apparent shelling showed the ferocity of Putin’s wartime commanders.

Pictures show Wagner forces in the Lipetsk region – less than four hours to the outskirts of Moscow.

The column of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s coup forces is heading north for a showdown with troops still loyal to dictator Vladimir Putin despite rumors that he has fled the capital.

Wagner forces were about 200 miles from Moscow and faced an evening or night showdown with regular Russian forces.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has spoken to Western allies about the Wagner mercenary group’s armed insurgency in Russia, which British defense officials have described as “the biggest challenge” facing the Kremlin in recent memory.

Mr Sunak spoke with US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday afternoon “to discuss the situation in Russia and reiterate their continued support for Ukrainian sovereignty,” Downing Street said.

Hot-dog seller, influential oligarch, Russia’s armed wing in Ukraine with his private Wagner militia… The man nicknamed “Putin’s Chef” enjoyed a phenomenal rise before becoming an enemy of the Kremlin today.

His character is as fascinating as it is terrifying. Evgueni Prigoyine was accused of treason by Vladimir Putin and on Friday 23 June went into direct confrontation with the Russian army. At the head of the powerful Wagner paramilitary group, the man was still considered a key player in the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

The influential oligarch, omnipresent on social media and the target of Western sanctions, has not always been at the forefront of the stage. His story is primarily that of a man in the shadows.

Evgueni Prigojine was born in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) in 1961 and began his career under difficult circumstances. We know almost nothing about his youth, apart from a conviction for theft and fraud in 1979. It was only after nine years behind bars that his unstoppable rise began.

a first meeting with Vladimir Putin in a restaurant

When the Soviet system collapses, Evgueni Prigojine becomes self-employed and opens a hot dog stand. He then started several restaurant activities including a luxury restaurant in Saint Petersburg. There he would have met the young Vladimir Putin for the first time, who was then working with Anatoly Sobchak, the city’s mayor and mentor to the future Russian president.

After Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000, the ambitious Prigoyine offered his services to the Kremlin. A job that will earn him the nickname “Putin’s Chef” and the reputation of having become a billionaire thanks to the many public contracts he has won.

Yevgeny Prigoyine and Vladimir Putin, then Prime Minister, in Moscow, 2011. © Portal

The wealthy entrepreneur then diversified his activities and began making digital influence by founding the Internet Research Agency (IRA) in his own right in 2013. Often referred to as a “troll farm”, this structure floods social networks with messages spreading Kremlin propaganda: attacks on Russian opponent Alexei Navalny, promoting Brexit, supporting candidate Donald Trump in the US elections…

Octopus Wagner

These maneuvers of influence are quickly discovered by Western secret services. Yevgueni Prigojine is in the spotlight, although he currently denies being the originator of the IRA. “It’s the first time he’s really been talked about in the West,” notes Carole Grimaud, professor of geopolitics at the University of Montpellier and specialist on the Russian world, for CNEWS.

Barely a year later, in 2014, Yevgueni Prigojine founded the now-famous Wagner Group, a private mercenary militia that defends Russian interests abroad. Wagner is initially stationed in Syria to support Bashar al-Assad’s troops before advancing to Africa, his new sphere of influence. Libya, Central African Republic, Mali… The paramilitary organization is taking advantage of the anti-Western – and particularly anti-French – climate to offer its services to the ruling juntas and to compete with the former colonial powers.

Accused of abusing civilians by NGOs, Wagner is also a lucrative business for Prigojine, which thrives on monopolizing the mining resources of the areas in which it operates.

The war in Ukraine, a turning point

Until now, this base work has been carried out in the utmost secrecy, but the war in Ukraine changed the situation. In September 2022, Evgueni Prigojine turns out to be the founder of the Wagner Group, which he sends to the Ukrainian front. A video on social networks shows him recruiting soldiers in a prison. “The Wagner Group now has its own subsidiary with its own headquarters in Saint Petersburg,” notes Carole Grimaud.

Wagner’s headquarters in Saint Petersburg © Portal

Last November, Prigojine emerged from the shadows a little more. He assumes that he “meddled” in the American elections a few months before the midterms. Then, in mid-February, he made the “troll farm” in St. Petersburg his own.

“Evgueni Prigojine’s weight has increased significantly since the beginning of the war,” explains Carole Grimaud. And for a good reason. With a deployment of an estimated 40 to 50,000 men, Wagner knew how to make himself indispensable in the Ukraine with more or less explicit support from the Kremlin. “Mercenary activity is banned in Russia, which presupposes leniency on the part of the authorities. In addition, the prisoners recruited by Wagner obtained a pardon. However, only the Russian President can grant it,” explains our expert.

an internal war with Sergei Choigou

As a public figure, Evgueni Prigoyine claims freedom of expression in contrast to the Kremlin’s closed communications. As the conflict in Ukraine faltered, he gradually freed himself from Russian power by openly criticizing the General Staff.

At the beginning of January, the capture of the small Ukrainian town of Soledar by Russia caused initial friction between Wagner and the Russian army. With the militia spearheading the attack, the Russian military issues a statement without mentioning Wagner’s fighters. Evgueni Prigojine then denounced through his press service “constant attempts to steal the victories of his group”. For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry issues a new press release praising the “courage” of Wagner’s men at Soledar, a first since the beginning of the war.

What was just tension turned into open war on February 21. Evgueni Prigoyine accuses the chief of staff and defense minister Sergei Shoigu of “not giving ammunition to the paramilitary group Wagner, but also not helping them with air transport”. “There is a frontal opposition that is nothing less than an attempt to destroy Wagner. “You can compare that to a betrayal of the fatherland,” he thundered in the telegram.

As long as the oligarch continued to serve the Russian cause and ideology, the Kremlin let him. But “Vladimir Putin will not hesitate to sack him if he becomes too dangerous,” predicted Carole Grimaud last March.

a suspected violence

On the front lines, Prigozhin has also earned a reputation as a ruthless warlord, using ex-prisoners as cannon fodder and not shying away from executing fugitives.

Last November, he amused himself by filming the execution of one of his men, who was accused of desertion and being hit in the head with a sledgehammer. “It’s a great work of realization, you can see it in one sitting. I hope no animal was harmed during the filming,” he joked. The violence is completely taken over by Prigojine.

Flirting with legality, on the border between public contracts and private business, Evgueni Prigojine’s career could be imitated. Some press reports have recently reported the formation of new paramilitary militias. One would be close to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, another would have been set up by gas giant Gazprom.

political ambitions

The one who was referred to a few months ago as the “Kremlin’s henchman” even harbored political ambitions. In an article published by Le Monde, the Russian-language media outlet Meduza reveals that the oligarch is preparing to launch a “conservative political movement”.

“In Russia, Prigoyine embodies the anger of an ultra-nationalist fringe group that criticizes the Russian army for its defeats and advocates military escalation,” decodes Carole Grimaud, for whom the businessman may want to “prepare the consequences – cheese fries”.

Thus, Evegueni Prigojine’s uprising could upset his future, but also that of the country. It represents the greatest challenge yet to Putin’s long rule and opens up Russia’s worst security crisis since he took power in late 1999. It also comes at a time when Kiev is in the midst of a counteroffensive to retake territory.

The importance of this mutiny has not escaped the eyes of world leaders. Washington, Paris, Berlin and Rome have said they are closely monitoring developments.

Due to the advance of the Wagner group towards the Russian capital, there is a massive evacuation of public buildings in Moscow. The mayor invites citizens to stay indoors. Russian President Putin addressed the nation: “They stabbed us in the back, but we will defend our people and our state. The events of 1917 will not be repeated.” Zelenskyi says: “Putin is no longer in Moscow: he is hiding”

Putin: “We were stabbed in the back”

WAGNER’S REVOLT – LIVE

19.00 – Ukraine has launched an offensive in several directions on the Eastern Front: this was announced by the Minister of Defense of Kiev.

6.50 p.m – “I will say in Russian: the man from the Kremlin is obviously very scared and is probably hiding somewhere without showing himself. I’m sure he’s not in Moscow anymore. He calls somewhere, asks something from there… He knows what he’s afraid of because he himself created this threat,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an evening address to the nation.

17.45 – The train stations in Rostov-on-Don are overcrowded with people who want to leave the city. This was reported by some Russian media, including Kommersant, which, citing one of its correspondents, speaks of a suburban train station where there are long queues. The media also released a video showing hundreds of people waiting near the tracks. According to the regional government, the bus station is functioning normally. “Ticket sales for destinations where traffic is temporarily closed have been suspended,” the press service said.

17.40 – Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin urged citizens to limit travel in the city, as some districts could experience traffic delays. This was reported by Interfax. “The situation is difficult,” writes the mayor on Telegram. Monday in Moscow will be a day off. Sobyanin announced.

5:00 p.m. – Moscow, Western countries must not take advantage of the situation – Russia’s Foreign Ministry has warned Western countries not to use Russia’s domestic political situation to “achieve their Russophobic goals”. It can be read in a press release. “We are convinced,” the note continues, “that the situation will find a solution in the near future.” “All the goals and objectives of the military special operation” in Ukraine “will be achieved”, despite “the attempted armed insurgency” in Russia.

16.36 – Due to the advance of the Wagner group towards the Russian capital, there is a massive evacuation of public buildings in Moscow. BBC Russia reports on this and also publishes videos of people rushing out of buildings and museums near the Kremlin

15.57 – I Wagner militia officers have arrived in the Lipetsk region south of Moscow. This was announced by Governor Igor Artamonov on his Telegram channel.

15.49 – Kiev, Donbass positions occupied by Russians since 2014 – Ukrainian troops liberated Russian-held positions in Donbass in 2014: writes Valery Shershen, spokesman for the Ukrainian forces of the Southern Command (Tavria), quoted by the Telegram channel of Rbc-Ukraine. “Near Krasnohorivka, after a well-planned counterattack, our assault units took control of several positions held (by the Russians) since 2014. We are talking about the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) near the city of Donetsk itself,” Shershen writes.

15.36 – Russia’s telecommunications control agency has blocked the Wagner Group’s social networks to prevent the spread of calls for participation in the mercenary uprising led by Yevgeny Prigozhin. The tax office reports it.

15.15 – The US is working on the situation in Russia “in close coordination with its allies”. This is reported by the US Department of State. US support for Ukraine “will not change”. Matthew Miller, spokesman for the US State Department, said in a note on the chaos in Russia.

14.33 – Peskov, “Putin at work in the Kremlin, no escape” – Russian President Vladimir Putin is “working normally in the Kremlin” after the Wagner group vowed to overthrow the country’s top military leaders. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, as reported by Tass. Earlier, several social networks published the screenshot taken by air surveillance site Flight Radar showing a Russian government plane flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg and claiming that Putin was on board.

❗️ Putin’s plane took off from Moscow and disappeared from radar#PutinSpecial aircraft Il96-300PU (Point of Control) took off from #Moscow In the direction of St. Petersburg at 14:16 Moscow time, as shown by flight radar data. The destination of the flight was not specified and it disappeared from the… pic.twitter.com/7m6NBryjvA

– NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 24, 2023

14.19 – Prigozhin, headquarters in Rostov, captured without shooting – The leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has assured that he took the headquarters of the Russian army in Rostov without firing and claimed that he had the support of the population. “Why does the country support us? Because we are marching for justice,” the militia leader said in an audio message on Telegram. “We entered Rostov and, without firing a single shot, took the headquarters building,” he added.

ANSA. it

Trucks and Armored Vehicles on City Streets (ANSA)

1.35 p.m. – According to Kiev, “Moscow is practically armored and preparing for a siege, with military and police checkpoints at almost every intersection.” Several Ukrainian media reported an explosion and shots at the Russian Rostov military command

13.07 – The Moscow Transport Authority announced that the Moskva was temporarily closed to shipping. This was reported by Tass, citing a statement from the department. “According to the federal organization of the Moscow Canal, the Moskva River has been temporarily closed to traffic. The operation of the piers has also been restricted.”

04/13 – A video released by Gray Zone, a Telegram channel close to the Wagner Group, shows Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenaries at the Russian Armed Forces Headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, holding talks with Russian Colonel-General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, Deputy Defense Minister, and with Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseev , deputy chief of the GRU, the Russian military intelligence service.

ANSA agency

A video released by Gray Zone, a Telegram channel close to the Wagner Group, shows Yevgeny Prigozhin in Rostov-on-Don holding talks with Colonel-General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister (ANSA).

12.42 – On telegram the Russian nationalist Igor Girkinnicknamed “Strelkov the Rifleman” writes that “the insurgents have passed Voronezh and are advancing to the Lipetsk region. They boast of shooting down ‘Rosgwardiya’ (Russian National Guard) forward outposts and capturing trophies.” ” .

12:38 p.m – According to Kiev, “the forces of the Wagner group bypassed Voronezh and advanced towards Moscow, sweeping away everything that stood in their way. The estimated time it takes for the Wagner column to approach Moscow is 20-21 hours. It is not known who is the head of the column and whether the terrorist Prigozhin himself is part of it.” Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Interior Minister of Ukraine, writes on Twitter.

12.16 – A large oil depot is on fire in Voronezh.

ANSA agency

A large oil depot is on fire in Voronezh. According to the governor of the region Alexander Gusev, quoted by Tass (ANSA)

11.58 – One of the channels associated with the group Wagner writes in the Telegram that “the civil war has officially begun”. And he published images of a Russian helicopter allegedly shot down in Voronezh by Prigozhin’s mercenaries after they attacked them. “One of the convoys of the Wagner group was attacked in the Voronezh region. Aviation works too. The civil war has officially begun,” they write on Telegram.

08.20 – The leader of the Wagner mercenaries charges the leaders of the Russian defensesAt the head, Minister Shoigu is said to have ordered an attack on his men and a march on Rostov and Moscow. “It’s not a coup, it’s a march of justice,” “and we will pull it through,” he assures, ignoring calls to stop. At 6:30 a.m., he announces that he is at Rostov headquarters, controlling a number of locations, including an airport. The Russian prosecutor’s office opened a case of “armed rebellion”, military vehicles are on the road in Moscow and Rostov and security measures are being tightened. Putin is “constantly informed”. Also Biden and consultation with allies. During the night, a Russian attack took place in various cities in Ukraine: a skyscraper was hit in Kiev, killing at least two and injuring eight. The leader of the paramilitary group Wagner He said he arrived early this morning at Russian army headquarters in Rostov, a key hub for Russia’s attack on Ukraine, and took control of military sites, including an airport. “We’re at headquarters, it’s 07:30” (6:30 in Italy), he said in a video broadcast on Telegram, “Rostov’s military bases are under control, including the airport,” he adds while walking behind standing by him see men in uniform walking.

Prigozhin announces control of military bases in Rostov

The Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don is an important logistical base for the offensive in Ukraine. “We took control of the airport so that the attack planes wouldn’t hit us, but the Ukrainians,” Prigozhin said. He therefore asked the Russians not to believe the statements made by state television. “When you’re told that Wagner interfered with the work and that’s why something fell apart at the front… Things didn’t fall apart at the front because of that,” he continued. “A huge amount of territory has been lost. The number of soldiers killed is three to four times higher than indicated in the documents presented to the summits,” he added. Prigozhin said Russian chief of staff Valery Gerasimov “ran away from here when he saw us approaching the building.” Rostov authorities urged residents to stay at home.

ANSA. it

“A 24-Story Skyscraper Hit” (ANSA)

The anger of the Russian President in an address to the nation
“People who are now fighting on the front lines have gotten this dagger in the back,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an address to the nation. “The actions that have divided our unity are in reality a denial of our people, our brothers in arms who are now fighting on the front lines. This is a stab in the back for our country and our people.”
Putin has promised that the Russian people and state will be protected from any betrayal: “Now the fate of our people is being decided,” he added. And he stressed that “all those who have chosen the path of treason will be punished and held accountable. The armed forces have received the necessary orders,” he said, addressing those involved in the rebellion and urging them to stop their actions. “This blow was inflicted on the Russian people in 1917 as well when he fought in World War I when victory was practically taken from him. The civil war, Russians kill Russians, brothers kill brothers. The various political adventurers took advantage of this situation. “We will not allow such a situation to repeat itself,” Putin said, promising that “firm measures will be taken to stabilize the situation in Rostov-on-Don.” The situation remains difficult.”
The Russian President then spoke Belarusian ally Alexander Lukashenkoto update him on the situation and received the support of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has assured that he is ready to work with Moscow to put an end to the uprising. What Yevgny Prigozhin committed was “a cowardly betrayal,” a “mutiny” that must be “put down,” Kadyrov said. He then announced that Chechen troops were heading to areas of tension. Support for Putin also came from Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, who launched a call for unity in the face of a common threat.

ANSA agency

“Now everything depends on the loyalty of the armed forces to the Kremlin.” The US is closely monitoring the situation in Russia. Biden received a briefing and consulted with “allies and partners around the world.” Foreign Minister Tajani calls on compatriots to exercise caution (ANSA)

Moscow’s “critical facilities” have been placed under increased protection and security measures in the capital have been stepped up, Tass reports, citing a law enforcement source. “Security measures in Moscow have been strengthened; all critical facilities, government seats and transport infrastructure have been placed under enhanced protection,” the source said. According to the source, the special forces of the Russian National Guard have been put on alert. The mayor of the Russian capital has announced that “anti-terror” measures will be taken after the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, officially declared war on the country’s military leaders. “In connection with the information reaching Moscow, counter-terrorism measures are being taken to strengthen security,” Sergei Sobyanin said on social media.