Russia: Why did Wagner’s group rise up?

Head of mercenary group WagnerYevgeny Prigozhin replied today to Russian President Vladimir Putin that his people are not traitors and will not surrender to the authorities.

“As for treason, the president made a deep mistake. we are patriots We fought and we are fighting (…) and no one intends to surrender at the request of the president, the Federal Security Service (FSB) or anyone else,” Prigozhin said in a new audio recording published on his Telegram channel.

He added that he and his people do not want “the country to continue living in corruption, lies and bureaucracy”.

“When we fought in Africa, they didn’t say that we need Africa, and then they left Africa because they stole all the aid money,” Prigozhin said.

He emphasized that when the campaign in Ukraine began, the Wagners started to fight, “but it turned out that the ammunition, weapons and all the money intended for them were also stolen.”

“Instead, officials are saving for their own benefit, for the case that happened today, when someone is advancing towards Moscow. Now they spare nothing: they attack peaceful columns with airplanes and helicopters,” he condemned.

Betrayal

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, described the rebellion launched last night by the mercenary group Wagner, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, as treason and said that those responsible would pay for it.

“The one who organized and prepared the military rebellion betrayed Russia and will be held accountable,” he said during a speech to the nation broadcast on public television.

According to Putin, “those who tried to organize this rebellion, (…) are pushing the country into anarchy and fratricide, into defeat and capitulation.”

He emphasized that “every internal conflict is a mortal threat” to the Russian state.

The Russian president has vowed to quell the rebellion that began last night and continued today with the seizure of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don by Prigozhin and his men, who are threatening to march on Moscow.

The head of Russian mercenaries condemns the “chaos” reigning in the war in Ukraine because of the Russian defense minister, Sergej Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimovwhom he accuses of lying about the real situation on the front and of being responsible for the deaths of “more than 100,000 Russian soldiers” due to a lack of leadership.