Various police on duty near presidential administration as the road is being cordoned off in Moscow, Russia, on June 24, 2023. Reuters
Tensions between Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian defense ministry are finally coming to a head, with the Wagner leader threatening to attack Russian troops in retaliation for what he says was a deadly strike against his own paramilitary forces.
In extraordinary developments, the Russian security services accused Prigozhin of launching a coup attempt and have launched a criminal prosecution which could eventually see him jailed in what would be a dramatic fall from grace for one of Russia’s most prominent and outspoken figures.
For months, Prigozhin has been lambasting Russia’s High Command for mishandling the Ukraine war, repeatedly accusing the defense minister and the country’s military chief of incompetence.
Earlier this month, the Kremlin demanded all Russian mercenaries sign contracts with the Russian defense ministry, in a move seen as an attempt to control Wagner.
But Prigozhin remained defiant, refusing to comply and voicing increasingly vitriolic tirades against the Russian military hierarchy.
In the hours before the alleged attack on the Wagner camp, Prigozhin posted more inflammatory comments on social media, accusing the defense ministry of deceiving Russian President Vladimir Putin about the threat posed by Ukraine ahead of his February 2022 invasion. He also questioned Russian motives for the war.
Now, Moscow has been placed on alert in a response to Prigozhin’s call for a “march for justice” against defense officials he says are responsible for attacking Wagner, while his mercenary forces are said to be entering the southern Russian region of Rostov.
CNN cannot independently verify the claims.
Meanwhile, next door in Ukraine, defense officials say they are watching closely as Russia seems to plunge into turmoil.
Source link: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-06-23-23/index.html