Russia: How Wagner’s Rebellion Was Foiled – Prigozhin Takes refuge in Belarus – Newsbomb – News

A period of 24 hours was enough to jumble the balance in Moscow, as the world watched the developments with bated breath.

Their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has ordered Wagner’s rebel mercenaries to turn their weapons on the Kremlin as Russia grapples with its worst internal crisis since 1991.

It took mediation from the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, so that on the night of Saturday 24/6 Prigozhin ordered a withdrawal and the troops took the opposite direction to the one they had previously, i.e. Moscow.

Through the mouth of the regional governor Vasily Golubev, he announces the departure of the fighters of the mercenary company Wagner, who yesterday occupied the general headquarters of the Russian army in the city under the leadership of their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, Rostov.

The governor of the region, Golubev, said via Telegram that “the convoy of the Wagner group has left Rostov and is heading to the bases” of the mercenaries, without going into details.

A video circulating on the Internet shows the head of the Wagner mercenary organization, Yevgeny Prigozhin, leaving the Russian army headquarters in the city of Rostov in an SUV. The video was posted by the Russian news agency RIA on Telegram.

Prigozhin had earlier agreed to end the rebellion against the Russian military leadership, after mediation by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Kremlin announced that Prigozhin would move to Belarus under the agreement reached.

The beginning of the rebellion

On Friday night (6/23), Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin released a video emphasizing his disagreement with the Russian military and dismissing Vladimir Putin’s main reasons for invading Ukraine in the first place, saying it was based on “lies.”

In the recordings, he continued that the “evil” of the Russian military leadership “must stop” and that his fighters would lead a “march for justice”.

The Russian Security Service responded by opening a criminal case against Prigozhin, and the deputy commander of the Moscow campaign in Ukraine urged Wagner’s militia to return to their bases.

Wagner’s march to Moscow

In the early hours of Saturday morning (24/6) Prigozhin said his men had crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and were ready to go “to the end” against the country’s army. In a Telegram recording, he said his fighters had entered the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.

The district governor told the residents to remain calm and remain in their homes as it became clear that Wagner’s forces had taken control of the city. The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement calling on the group to abandon Prigozhin, saying they had been “deceived and drawn into a criminal adventure”.

Then Vladimir Putin made a televised speech vowing to crush what he called an armed rebellion and accusing Prigozhin of “treason”. Shortly thereafter, Russian military helicopters open fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already halfway to Moscow.

Russian soldiers also set up a machine gun position on Moscow’s southwestern edge, according to photos published by Vedomosti. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning Western countries against using the Wagner Group’s insurrection “to achieve their Russophobic goals”.

Then, at around 20:00, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s office said he had brokered a deal with Prigozhin, who had agreed to de-escalate the situation. After a few minutes Prigozhin confirmed that he had ordered his fighters, who were advancing towards Moscow, to turn around and return to their bases.

Trials raise – Prigozhin goes to Belarus

According to a leak from the Kremlin, late Saturday night (24/6), Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will be moving to Belarus. The move is part of a deal brokered by Lukashenko to end an armed rebellion against Russia’s military leadership.

Prigozhin, like the Wagner fighters who took part in the rebellion, will be safe from criminal charges as the Kremlin has assured that everything will be dropped and that the operation that began earlier in the day will not continue. Additionally, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that it was Lukashenko who offered assistance in the situation citing his personal acquaintance with Prigozhin, which spans more than 20 years.

Orgy rumor about Wagner’s reversal

Russia finds itself on the brink of civil war, following the decision of Wagner’s boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to launch an attack on the country’s capital, Moscow, perpetrating an insurrection against Vladimir Putin. Early Saturday (June 24) in his speech, the Russian President spoke about the traitors who will receive the corresponding punishment, without mentioning the name of Prigozhin.

For hours, there was massive unrest across Russia as Wagner’s forces arrived within a few hundred kilometers of Moscow and directly threatened to turn their guns on the Kremlin. Even rumors spread about President Putin’s “flight”, while the Kremlin denied all rumors and made it clear that he was in place and functioning normally. Wagner’s forces occupied important strategic cities of the country, everything indicated that civil war was inevitable when it was suddenly announced that Prigozhin had made … a U-turn after Lukashenko’s intervention.

The president of Belarus had assumed the role of mediator, he announced, with Prigozhin saying that “We did not want to shed Russian bloodTo confirm that Wagner Stop the advance towards Moscow. But why the mercenary chief decided to hold back was what would worry him from now on. Nobody is convincedAccording to international media reports, Prigozhin decided to back down only because Alexander Lukashenko intervened in the case.

Everyone is looking for her What did Prigozhin take to back off?». Already on social media, journalists and analysts have laid out the first scenarios. In particular, those from the United States, they do not even rule out the possibility that the withdrawal will be temporary. Most of them are already talking about major changes in the Russian Defense Ministry, with the dismissal of the minister Sergey Shoigu but also to the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Valery Gerasimov.

Indeed, there are many who argue that it is possible that Prigozhin was waiting to place people of his influence in these positions, especially Gerasimov, until he became stronger and more powerful. To “hit” Vladimir Putin again. On the other hand, there is also a scenario of strengthening Vladimir Putin after this comment in the end, coup attempt at the expense of. The fact that not a single shot was fired by the Russian army, no blood was shed, and the bloodless movement ended with him in power enables him, according to analysts, to pass. Another message to the West.

Against accusations against Putin, regarding the war in Ukraine, where the Russian president presents himself as an imperialist leader – at best – and a “thug” at worst, the Kremlin will be able to counter that. There are leaders far more extreme than PutinWho managed diplomacy and the use of his allies to suppress the rebellion, without dropping a gun!

In addition, the prospect of Prigozhin is not excluded tangible what they referred to International and military analysts. so with 25,000 army Whatever the “right” and “fanatics” were, they could not take Moscow. So he was already lost, so he looked up.”non-optimalFor him and his fighters.