36 Hours of Chaos in Russia: The Protocol to the Wagner Uprising Against Putin

Prigozhin published a video interview on his Telegram channels on Friday. In it, he again shoots at the Russian government – ​​albeit in a new dimension. The Kremlin’s military leadership carefully fools Vladimir Putin (70). The ministry and especially Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (68) allegedly deliberately provided the president with disinformation so that he feared an escalation with Ukraine and dealt the first blow.

Ukraine “did not bomb Donbass, only Russian positions,” Prigozhin continues. “The defense ministry says Ukraine wanted to attack Russia together with NATO.” What is wrong. The reason for the “Special Operation Z” is based on lies – a statement that is causing a stir in Russia.

Gerhard Mangott (56), a military expert at the University of Innsbruck, explained to Blick on Friday: “Prigozhin thus deprives the ‘special military operation’ of all legitimacy and destroys the central narrative of the Russian leadership for this war.” And further: “In doing so, he personally discredits Putin and increases the doubts of the population about the usefulness of the struggle,” said the expert.

It’s a new dimension of Prigozhin’s verbal attacks. However, no one has any idea what will follow a few hours later.

At around 9 p.m. Swiss time, Prigozhin published an audio message on his Telegram channel. And she has the talent. Prigozhin accuses Shoigu of bombing his troops. “A very large number of Wagner soldiers” were killed, says Prigozhin. He calls for a “march for justice”.

“The evil in the military leadership must be stopped,” says the Wagner boss. “We are 25,000.” He also called on “anyone who wants to join us” to “put an end to the chaos”.

The Russian Defense Ministry released a statement denying Prigozhin’s allegations. The allegations are “a clear provocation,” the statement said. The Russian secret service FSB started a criminal case against Prigozhin. Reason: “Call for an armed mutiny”. Vladimir Putin was also informed of the events.

Prigozhin releases another audio message. His mercenaries would advance into Russian territory. The destination is the city of Rostov-on-Don, which is of strategic importance to Russia. A little later he said that his troops were “welcomed with hugs” by the Russian soldiers.

Almost at the same time, security measures in Moscow were drastically increased. Videos online show armored cars in front of the Russian parliament. Russian state news agencies confirmed that “important objects would be placed under heightened security”.

Wagner soldiers take control of Rostov-on-Don almost without resistance. Interior Ministry buildings and military quarters are occupied. Prigozhin thus takes control of a city where more than a million people live.

The takeover proceeds without skirmishes. Photos show Wagner soldiers queuing in supermarkets or sitting on restaurant terraces.

Putin gives a speech on state television. He accuses Prigozhin of “betraying our comrades-in-arms”. It was “a knife in the back of the Russian people”. He announces harsh punishments against the mercenaries and especially against Prigozhin. In addition, Putin announced that he would do everything he could to defend his country.

Shortly before that, a state of anti-terrorism was declared in Moscow. Traffic on the main axes will be regulated more intensively. All major events are cancelled. In addition, there are more and more soldiers on the streets.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov (46) spoke about the conflict for the first time. He stands with Putin and announces that he will move his troops to the “zones of tension”. “The uprising must be put down, and if tough action is needed, we are ready!” Soon after, videos of long columns of cars circulated.

Meanwhile, Wagner’s mercenaries continue to advance. They now occupy the city of Voronezh, halfway between Rostov-on-Don and Moscow. The advance is unopposed by the Russian soldiers and very fast. There are only isolated reports of skirmishes.

Operation Prigozhin seems perfectly planned. “It appears to be a well-organized operation,” writes Philips O’Brien, an American historian and professor of strategic studies at the Scottish University of St Andrews, in his newsletter.

The timing is also perfect, continues O’Brien. “Almost all Wagner troops have withdrawn from Ukraine in the past month and are back in Russia or abroad.” This means that Prigozhin has many equipped troops, many of whom have real combat experience on the battlefield.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (45) also spoke for the first time. In a telegram post he writes: “Russia has long concealed its weakness and stupidity with propaganda. And now the chaos is so great that no lie can hide it.”

He adds: “Russia’s weakness is obvious. A weakness across the board.” The longer Russia sends its troops and mercenaries to Ukraine, the more chaos, pain and trouble it would cause itself, the Ukrainian president says.

Panic spreads in Moscow. All direct flights from the Russian capital to other parts of the country are sold out. In addition, rumors are circulating on social media that Putin has fled to Saint Petersburg. A spokesman denies.

Photos show how trucks filled with sand are lined up on the traffic axes towards Moscow. They are intended to prevent the Wagner troops from advancing quickly. They are not particularly useful. A video circulated a short time later, supposedly showing a blown-up roadblock.

Military checkpoints will also be massively reinforced. Also there are tanks in the streets. Sandbags and machine guns line the roadsides, critical points such as Red Square have been cordoned off.

According to the online magazine “Meduza”, Putin also allegedly gave the order to kill Prigozhin. The Russian president also signed a new martial law. This should make it possible to punish violations, such as violating the curfew, more severely.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry also reacted – with mockery and malice. “The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine wonders why Russian soldiers are still sitting in their muddy trenches instead of coming to the aid of their comrades on both sides of the conflict,” the ministry said in a statement on Twitter on Saturday. “It would be much safer than opposing the Ukrainian army.”

Rumors of negotiations are circulating for the first time. The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko would play a role in this. Prigozhin then announced that there was no agreement.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin (65) says that the population of the capital will not have to work on Monday. He is also concerned about the current situation. “The situation is difficult,” says Sobyanin.

Scared in Russia! The Russian state news agency Tass announces that an agreement has been reached with Prigozhin. A profitable and acceptable solution to the situation had been developed with safety guarantees for the Wagner fighters. It is not known what Prigozhin received in exchange for the halted advance.

Wagner’s boss publishes an audio message on Telegram. He claims to have halted his advance 200 kilometers from Moscow. According to the mercenary, you don’t want to “shed blood”. So it was time to flip the columns. He says nothing about negotiations.

The mercenaries of the Wagner group leave Rostov-on-Don. Videos show how to say goodbye to applause. At the same time, the Kremlin announces that the criminal case against the mercenaries and against Prigozhin will be dropped.

A short time later it is announced that the Wagner boss will be exiled in Belarus. Pictures on social media show him leaving. Prigozhin waves to people in the street as he drives off.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, some parts of the Wagner groups would also sign contracts with the military. Exactly how Wagner will proceed is still unclear.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that the situation would not affect the course of the “military special operation” against Ukraine. Peskov also says he is not aware of any change in President Vladimir Putin’s attitude towards Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.