A Wagner base was purportedly the target of a shelling strike, which Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin has attributed to the Russian Ministry of Defence (MOD), however the MOD has disputed this. Shortly before the incident, a Russian military blogger visited the base.
The following message was published by Prigozhin on his own Telegram channel shortly after it was posted on a Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel on June 23 in the evening: “A missile attack was launched against a PMC Wagner base. There are numerous fatalities.” The attack, which was carried out by Russian Ministry of Defense forces, was carried out from behind, according to information provided by fighters who were witnesses.
In the video posted by the Wagner channel, frantic men can be seen making their way through a forested base until they come to a location with burned-out trees, smouldering fires, and what appears to be a corpse. It is still unknown whether this video depicts the aftermath of an actual attack or if it was faked.
The day before the purported attack, Russian combat correspondent Aleksandr Simonov uploaded a video of the same camp on Telegram. Simonov frequently works alongside Wagner units and shares recordings of their activities on his Telegram account. How long it was between Simonov’s visit to the base and the Telegram post displaying it is unknown.
Simonov describes the video’s opening as a visit to a Wagner base in the back where soldiers are waiting for orders. Given that trenches and underground sleeping areas can be observed, the location is most likely on Ukrainian territory that is under occupation. As the footage progresses, Wagner fighters lead Simonov across the base before leading him to a clearing where soldiers are practising their aim.
Although the precise location of this Wagner facility is still unknown, the contents of the Wagner and Simonov movies strongly suggest that it is situated within the occupied territory of Ukraine, where temporary underground sleeping quarters can be seen and where protection has been found in a wooded area.
Prigozhin has responded with more Telegram posts that criticize Sergei Shoigu, the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense, and demand that “whoever wants” take action to “put an end to this disgrace.” The Russian Ministry of Defense has dismissed Prigozhin’s charges as “informational provocation” and rejected their accuracy.
