2023-06-23 23:45:00
Prigozhin, who was ordered to be arrested by the Russian authorities, said on the 24th (local time) that his men had crossed the Ukrainian border into Russia.
According to Archyde.com and AFP, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, a mercenary company, said in a voice message posted on Telegram that day that Wagner mercenaries have entered the southern Russian city of Rostov and will destroy anyone who stands in their way.
Prigozhin also expressed his will to confront the Russian military, saying, “We are ready to go all the way.”
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense called on mercenaries to arrest Prigozhin, saying that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) had started an investigation following Prigozhin allegedly attacked the rear camps of the Wagner group with missiles the day before.
The Russian State Anti-Terrorism Committee said, “The statements that are spreading because of Yevgeny Prigozhin are completely unfounded.”
“Russian President Putin is aware of the situation surrounding Prigozhin and the necessary measures are being taken,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
In this regard, the Associated Press reported that the FSB urged the mercenaries belonging to the Wagner Group to capture Prigogine and hand him over to the authorities, saying, “Do not obey criminal and deceitful orders.”
Archyde.com news agency reported that security in the Moscow area has been strengthened in preparation for the possibility of an attack by the Wagner Group on the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Meanwhile, Prigozhin accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering missile strikes on Wagner’s rear camps via Telegram, threatening that his troops would move to punish Shoigu.
“We have 25,000 people and we are going to figure out why there is lawlessness in the country,” Prigozhin said, adding that many of his men were killed by missiles launched by regular forces under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
“We will kill anyone who tries to resist,” he added. “This is not a coup, this is a march for justice.”
Ukraine seems to be paying attention to a situation that might lead to internal strife in the Russian military.
“We are watching,” said Kirillo Budanou, director of military intelligence at the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, tweeting that rival factions in Russia have begun preying on power and money.
The Wagner group, led by Prigozhin, occupied Bakhmut, Donetsk province, the fiercest battlefield of the war in Ukraine last month, but in the process, it got into serious conflict with the Russian military leadership.
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