2023-06-24 18:09:58
Wagner’s Rebellion
The Belarusian president would have negotiated with Prigozhin
Early Saturday evening, Wagner’s leader announced that he had stopped his advance towards Moscow and decided to recall his troops. The Belarusian president would have worked in this direction.
PostedJune 24, 2023, 8:09 PM
Alexander Lukashenko is said to have spoken to the head of Wagner.
The Belarusian president said he negotiated with the head of Wagner on Saturday to stop the paramilitary group troop movements in Russia and avoid any further escalation. “Evgeny Prigozhine accepted the proposal of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movements of the armed men of the Wagner society and measures for a de-escalation of tensions”, indicated the unofficial Telegram channel of the Belarusian presidency, Poul Pervogo.
According to this source, the mediation took place in agreement with the Russian president Vladimir Poutine and lasted all day. “What is currently on the table is perfectly (…) acceptable to resolve the situation, with security guarantees for Wagner’s fighters,” added Poul Pervogo.
Vladimir Putin thanked Alexander Lukashenko for “the work done”, the Belarusian presidency announced on Saturday. “The President of Belarus informed the President of Russia in detail regarding the results of the negotiations with the management of the Wagner Group,” Minsk said in a statement, adding that Vladimir Putin had “thanked”, during their second telephone conversation of the day. , his ally “for the work done”.
Wagner returns to his camp
The leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigojine, announced on Saturday that his men, who were marching towards Moscow from southwestern Russia, were “returning” to their camps to avoid a bloodbath with the security forces.
“Now is the time when blood can flow. So (…) our columns turn around and we go in the opposite direction to return to the camps, according to the plan”, declared Evguéni Prigojine in a sound recording published by his press service on Telegram. His troops approached on Saturday less than 400 km from the capital following having notably claimed the capture of the headquarters of the Russian army in Rostov (west), the nerve center of operations in Ukraine.
A “stab”
Saturday morning in an address to the Nation, Vladimir Putin, in a black suit, with a serious air and a martial tone, attacked without naming him the man who dares to challenge him, accusing “the traitors” and promising to “punish” them. “It’s a stab in the back of our country and our people,” Vladimir Putin said. “What we are facing is nothing but betrayal. A betrayal caused by the excessive ambitions and the personal interests” of Evguéni Prigojine, he affirmed.
Vladimir Putin “is deeply mistaken” and my fighters will “not surrender”, retorted the head of Wagner, who has been criticizing Russian military strategy in Ukraine for several months. “We are patriots. No one is going to surrender at the request of the president, the security services or anyone,” he promised, attacking the Russian president for the first time directly.
“The man from the Kremlin is very scared”
Faced with his greatest challenge since coming to power at the end of 1999, President Putin denounced “treason” and warned of a “civil war”. The Kremlin also urged Western countries not to try to “take advantage of the internal situation in Russia to achieve their Russophobic goals”. “All the objectives of the special military operation (in Ukraine) will be achieved,” the Foreign Ministry said.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, Wagner’s rebellion shows that “the Russian leadership has no control over anything.” “The Kremlin man is obviously very scared and probably hiding somewhere,” he said. His army claimed on Saturday “advances in all directions” on the Eastern front where it claims to have launched new offensives.
Exceptional measures
The Russian region of Kaluga, whose regional capital is 180 km south of Moscow, has introduced travel restrictions in the face of the rebellion. Since the announcement of the Wagner Group’s rebellion on Friday night, their forces have been spotted in three Russian regions: Rostov, Voronezh and Lipetsk.
(AFP)Show comments
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