On Friday, June 23, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) ordered the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group. This comes after Russian intelligence alleged that Prigozhin was inciting an “armed rebellion”.
With this, the long-running dispute between Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and the military’s top echelon over the Ukraine war has been exposed.
The Federal Security Service, or FSB, announced the criminal case, implying that Prigozhin might be arrested soon for remarks in which he stated that he was planning a “march of justice” against his foes in Russia’s Ministry of Defence. The Wagner mercenary leader, however, denied any attempt at a military coup.
Prigozhin, a former confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, demanded revenge after saying that the Russian military killed “an enormous amount” of his forces in the strikes launched on Friday on Wagner camps. The Russian military refuted these strikes took place, adding that there was no independent evidence to support his assertion.
In an audio recording posted on Wagner group’s social media on Friday, Prigozhin said, “The evil that the military leadership of the country brings forward must be stopped. They have forgotten the word justice, and we will return it. Anyone attempting resistance will be considered a threat and immediately destroyed. This includes all the checkpoints on our path and any aircraft above our heads.”
Prigozhin accused Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu of flying to Rostov in southern Russia particularly to launch a missile strike against Wagner before abandoning the area late Friday in multiple audio recordings.
The Russian Defence Ministry, however, reacted to Prigozhin’s threats, dismissing his assertion that the military had hit a Wagner camp as “an informational provocation.”
“The Russian Federation’s armed forces continue to carry out combat missions on the line of contact with Ukraine’s armed forces in the area of the special military operation,” the ministry said.
Social media videos showed armoured vehicles stationed in central Moscow, specifically on the roads where the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, and the Prosecutor General’s Office are situated.
#SONDAKİKA | Moskova'da askeri hareketlilik
— SavunmaSanayiST.com (@SavunmaSanayiST) June 23, 2023
– Rus Ordusu'na ait zırhlı araçlar, Moskova şehir merkezine konuşlandırıldı. pic.twitter.com/ET6tLmilSR
According to Russian media reports, Wagner forces have gained control of the Southern Military District building in Rostov, prompting security to be heightened across Moscow. Moscow’s security forces are on high alert, and security has been ramped up in government buildings, transport facilities, and other vital areas.
Rostov area governor Vasily Golubev stated on Saturday that all public mass events slated for the weekend in the city have been cancelled. He said that public transit remained operational, but that downtown routes had been adjusted, and that certain limits had been imposed on roads leading to Taganrog, west of Rostov-on-Don, and north of the city.
Wagner, according to Prigozhin’s statement in May this year, lost 20,000 troops in the months-long battle for Bakhmut, which left the Ukrainian city in ruins. Wagner has played a critical role in the fight as the most combat-efficient Russian force in Ukraine. It has earlier reportedly clashed briefly with regular Russian forces in Bakhmut this month, detaining the commander of a Russian brigade whom Prigozhin claimed of mining the road used by Wagner as it retreated from the city.
