The Wagner Group, led by chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, has rebelled against the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin, leading to an open insurrection and a threat of civil war.
Prigozhin on Friday accused Russia’s military of attacking a Wagner camp and killing a ‘huge amount’ of his men. The group of mercenaries vowed to retaliate.
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Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday that Wagner took control of Rostov-on-Don and the Southern Military Headquarters without opening fire.
“Without firing a shot, we captured the headquarters building. We have not interfered with the work of a single person,” Prigozhin said in a Telegram post. “Why does the country support us? Because we went with a march for justice. We were attacked from the beginning by artillery and then by helicopters, and we passed without a single shot. We did not touch a single conscript. We didn’t kill a single person along the way.”
However, Russian media reported that several gunshots were fired and an explosion was heard. Putin called Wagner’s actions “treason”.
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“All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders,” the Russian President said.
Who funds the Wagner Group?
The Wagner Group, as per reports, has a diversified funding stream. It partially depends on Prigozhin’s ties to the Kremlin. The group has also received funding from foreign sources. Reports say that it was paid in gold and diamonds for work in CAR.
Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin described the attack as an ‘attempted armed rebellion’.
“At the moment, it is clear that the attempt to rock society, awaken the darkest aspirations in it, kindle the fire of a fratricidal civil war, has failed,” Naryshkin said in a statement on Telegram. “The Russians have demonstrated civic maturity, the ability to distinguish truth from lies.”
