Russia accuses Wagner of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has said his men have crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to confront Russian forces “all the way”.
Post Date – Sat 23/24 at 11:45am
Washington: The civil war escalated sharply after Russia accused Wagnerian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin of calling for an armed mutiny, ABC News reported.
Prigozhin said on Saturday his men had crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and were ready to confront Russian forces “all the way”.
As the long-running standoff between Prigozhin and the military’s top brass appeared to reach a critical juncture, Russia’s FSB security services opened criminal proceedings against Prigozhin, TASS said. It called on troops from Wagner’s private military company to ignore his orders and arrest him.
The move came shortly after the Kremlin accused Prigozhin of calling for an armed mutiny.
Prigozhin’s frequent social media tirade overshadowed his limited role in the war as head of Wagner’s private militia. For months, he has publicly accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia’s top general Valery Gerasimov of incompetence and has refused to supply ammunition to his troops. According to CBC News.
Prigozhin urged the Russians to join his army in punishing Moscow’s military leadership in the boldest challenge to President Vladimir Putin since launching an offensive against Ukraine last year.
“Prigorzhin’s remarks and actions are in fact a call for an armed civil war on the territory of the Russian Federation and a stab in the back against Russian servicemen who are fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian troops,” the FSB said in a statement. The Kremlin said Putin had been informed of Prigozhin’s statement and was “taking the necessary measures.”
Prigorzhin said earlier that Wagner’s field camp came under rocket fire, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from the army’s chief of staff, General Valery Gerasimov.
He accused General Gerasimov of issuing the order after a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and deciding to destroy Wagner, according to ABC News.
Earlier on Saturday local time, Prigozhin said in a cable that his personnel had crossed the border from Ukraine into southern Russia and were ready to confront Russian forces “all the way”. He said he and his men would eliminate anyone who stood in their way.
“But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way,” he said. “We are advancing and will go all the way to the end.” When Wagner’s troops allegedly rolled into the Russian city of Rostov, Prigorzhin said border guards greeted his mercenaries, ABC News reported.
The young conscripts at the checkpoint stepped back and offered no resistance, he said, adding that his troops were “not fighting children.” Prigorzhin escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin, calling on Friday (local time) for an armed rebellion aimed at overthrowing Russia’s defense minister.
He claimed, without providing evidence, that Russia’s military leadership had killed many of his fighters in an airstrike and vowed to punish them.
“This is not a military coup, but a march for justice,” Prigozhin declared.
Russian security services responded immediately, launching a criminal investigation into Prigozhin, ABC News reported.
Russia’s chief prosecutor said the criminal investigation was justified and that the armed insurrection charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin is taking the threat, state news agency Tass reported that riot police and the National Guard have urgently stepped up security at key Moscow installations, including government agencies and transport infrastructure.
