The private military chief seemingly built influence with with Putin over the course of the conflict, with his Wagner forces taking a leading role in the labored but ultimately successful assault on Bakhmut earlier this year. But he had spared Putin from direct criticism, instead directing his ire towards the President’s commanders. Prigozhin has been notoriously critical of the Russian military hierarchy since the war in Ukraine started. In Rostov, the work of civil and military administration is basically blocked,” Putin said, adding that “decisive action” would be taken. “The situation in Rostov-on-Don remains difficult during the armed uprising. In his remarks, Putin described events in Rostov as an insurrection. The developments leave Putin’s grip on power looking suddenly perilous, 16 months after he launched an invasion of Ukraine that has been beset by military setbacks, strategic failure and disorganization. “Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia’s security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out,” the report said. The briefing said some Russian forces had “likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner.”Īnd it predicted that individual decisions to support or betray Putin could tip the balance of the showdown. In its daily intelligence update, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Prigozhin’s insurrection “represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times.” The governor of the Voronezh region, Alexander Gusev, said the Russian military were engaging in “combat measures” in the area. The Wagner group also claimed to have seized Russian facilities in a second city, Voronezh, some 600 kilometers (372 miles) to the north of Rostov-on-Don.
He threatened to march on Moscow if defense minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia’s top general Valery Gerasimov did not meet with him in Rostov. Prigozhin, who heads private military group Wagner, said his forces had taken control of Russian military facilities in the city of Rostov-on-Don, an important operations base for Russia’s war in Ukraine. “And no one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else.” “We are patriots of our Motherland, we fought and are fighting,” he said in audio messages. The next 24 hours are criticalĪfter Putin’s speech, Prigozhin said on Telegram that the president was “deeply mistaken.” Putin is at risk of losing his iron grip on power.
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