Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced as “treason” a rebellion by forces loyal to the powerful head of the Wagner mercenary group and threatened “harsh” punishment.
(Bloomberg) — Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced as “treason” a rebellion by forces loyal to the powerful head of the Wagner mercenary group and threatened “harsh” punishment.
“What we are facing is precisely treachery,” Putin said in a televised address Saturday. “Excessive ambitions and personal interests led to treason, to treason to their country and their people and to the cause for which Wagner fighters and commanders fought and died side by side with our other units and divisions.”
Those who “organized and prepared a military mutiny, who took up arms against their comrades, betrayed Russia and will answer for it,” Putin said. “This is a blow to Russia, to our people, and our actions to protect the Fatherland from such a threat will be harsh.”
Earlier Saturday, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin posted a video of himself at what he said were military offices in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don that were under his control along with the local airfield. The claims couldn’t be independently confirmed.
Prigozhin said army operations were continuing “normally” as he accused defense chiefs of covering up “enormous” Russian casualties in the war in Ukraine which he said were “three to four times more” than officials acknowledged.
“We are all ready to die,” he said in a separate audio message on Telegram, claiming Wagner had 25,000 troops involved and another 25,000 who were ready to join. “Because we will die for the Motherland, for the Russian people who need to be liberated.”
The showdown with the Wagner founder marks the most dramatic escalation in a long-running feud between him and Russia’s defense establishment that has spiraled into the biggest challenge to Putin’s authority since he sent troops into Ukraine 16 months ago.
The Kremlin was taking no chances. Officials announced a “counter-terrorist regime” in Moscow and the surrounding region on Saturday as well as in the southern Voronezh region. Security in the capital was tightened including around government buildings, and riot police were put on alert, state-run Tass news service reported. Russia opened a criminal case against Prigozhin and the Federal Security Service said it was seeking to detain him.
Putin, who didn’t name Prigozhin in his TV address, said “any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood,” and drew a comparison with divisions during World War I that led to the 1917 Bolshevik revolution and civil war in Russia. “This is a stab in the back of our country,” he said.
Putin discussed the situation with his ally, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, in a phone call Saturday, the state-run Belta news service reported.
In Washington, President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation. A European Union spokesman said it was “carefully” monitoring developments.
The rebellion “represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times,” the UK Defence Ministry said in an intelligence update on Twitter. “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 Russian Defense Ministry issued an appeal to Wagner fighters to abandon the “armed rebellion,” saying they had been “deceived into Prigozhin’s criminal adventure,” in a statement read out on state television. “Many of your comrades from several detachments have already realized their mistake” and turned themselves over to law-enforcement, it said.
While Putin has the support of Russia’s military hierarchy, it’s difficult to assess the response of the army’s lower ranks, Tatyana Stanovaya, founder of R.Politik, a political consulting firm, said on Telegram. “If orders to open fire are issued, how will individual soldiers react?” she said.
Prigozhin, 62, has for months accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and top army officials in Moscow of failing to adequately support Wagner forces fighting in Ukraine, particularly during battles for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
Russian Wagner Chief Blasts Outcome of Putin’s Ukraine War Goals
He has repeatedly called for tougher measures including full mobilization and martial law to prosecute the war in Ukraine, warning that Russia risked defeat without them.
Putin had long appeared to tolerate the mercenary’s outbursts, relying on his troops to fight in key parts of the front. But his high profile rankled the military brass, which regularly sought to undermine and sideline him.
Tensions erupted Friday when Prigozhin posted a series of audio messages on his Telegram channel vowing to “punish” Russia’s military leaders for what he alleged was a missile attack on a Wagner base and the losses of “tens of thousands” of Russian troops in the war.
He accused Shoigu of overseeing an operation to “destroy” Wagner. The Defense Ministry denied Prigozhin’s claims about a strike.
Frictions had been rising again in recent weeks after Shoigu set a July 1 deadline for all volunteer units to sign a formal contract with the Defense Ministry — an order Prigozhin bluntly rejected. Putin backed the ministry’s demand during a meeting with Russian journalists and military bloggers last week.
Earlier Friday, the Wagner leader posted a video on Telegram accusing the Defense Ministry of “deceiving” Russians and Putin about the war as he challenged Kremlin justifications for the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
(Updates with Putin in ninth paragraph, Belarus talks in 10th)
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