Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has broken his silence after abandoning his armed uprising on Saturday night, claiming his march on Moscow was a “masterclass” on what Russia’s attack on Kiev should have looked like.
Prigozhin said in an 11-minute audio clip posted on Wagner-affiliated Telegram channels that he only called off his group’s attack on the Russian capital to avoid spilling Russian blood. the war in Ukraine, not to overthrow the government in Moscow.
He described his Wagner mercenaries as “perhaps the most experienced and most effective unit in Russia, possibly in the world,” and said his private military company had done “an enormous amount of work in the interest of Russia.”
And he claimed he had launched the uprising to “prevent the destruction of the Wagner group,” adding that they had been ordered to hand over their weapons to the Russian army and had also suffered casualties in air raids by the Russian air force.
“The aim of the campaign was to prevent the destruction of the Wagner PMC and to bring to justice those who, through their unprofessional actions, committed a large number of mistakes during the special military operation,” said Prigozhin.
“We went to demonstrate our protest, not to overthrow the government in the country.”
It comes despite reports from Meduza claiming that the mercenary leader frantically called Putin on his way to Moscow after realizing he had made a mistake, only for the Russian leader to ignore his call and serve as a chilling reminder to whom is in charge.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the military company Wagner Group, looks out from a military vehicle on a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023
Soldiers of Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner Group ride a tank while reading ‘Siberia’ on a street in the center of Rostov-on-Don, South Russia, June 24, 2023
The Russian outlet Meduza claimed that the leader of the mercenaries called Putin (pictured) frantically on his way to Moscow after realizing he had made a mistake, only for the Russian leader to ignore his call and serve as a chilling reminder to who the has leadership
Prigozhin also claimed that despite not showing any aggression towards Russian troops, the Russian Air Force launched aerial bombardments against his troops, killing 30 people.
This, he said, “was the trigger” that motivated him to order Wagner mercenaries to take Russian soil.
‘We covered 780 kilometers in one day. Not a single soldier on the ground was killed. We regret that we were forced to strike [Russian] air forces, but they dropped bombs and launched rocket attacks.’
Up to 15 Russian Air Force pilots are believed to have been killed by Wagner forces during the attacks.
Prigozhin concluded his statement by saying that he had ordered troops to halt their advance some 200 km outside of Moscow, recognizing that any further progress would have led to armed conflict and many deaths.
“We stopped just as the first assault detachment, approaching 200 kilometers to Moscow, was reconnoitring the area and it was clear that a great deal of blood would be shed at that time.
“That’s why we felt that the demonstration of what we were going to do was sufficient.”
The Wagner leader also confirmed that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was instrumental in brokering a deal between the Kremlin and Prigozhin that would allow the latter to escape punishment for organizing the uprising.
In turn, Lukashenko is said to have sheltered Prigozhin in Minsk for his safety and amnesty for all Wagner troops who took part in the capture of the southern city of Rosotv-on-Don and marched on Moscow.
However, several Russian media reported that a criminal investigation against Prigozhin is still ongoing, with some lawmakers calling for harsh sentences after Putin declared on Saturday that he would punish “the traitors who betray Russia.”
Wagner’s leader also confirmed that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (pictured) was instrumental in brokering a deal between the Kremlin and Prigozhin that would see the latter escape punishment for organizing the uprising.
embers of the Wagner Group prepare to depart from the headquarters of the Southern Military District on June 24, 2023 and return to their base in Rostov-on-Don, Russia
This image from a video shows civilians standing near military vehicles on a street of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023
Prigozhin has long expressed hatred and mistrust of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (center)
While Wagner’s armed uprising on Russian soil came as a surprise to most, Prigozhin’s hatred of the Russian military command has long been established.
Before the uprising, he had spent months insulting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian Army Chief General Valery Gerasimov, attacking them for not supplying his troops with sufficient ammunition during the battle for the Ukrainian war base town of Bakhmut . longest and bloodiest battle.
Meanwhile, Putin held talks with the leaders of Iran and Qatar on Monday, the Kremlin said, addressing a forum of young engineers in a taped video message that did not mention the mutiny.
It is not yet clear what the cracks left by the 24-hour uprising will mean for the war in Ukraine, where Western officials say Russian troop morale is low. Wagner’s troops were the key to Russia’s only land victory in months, at Bakhmut.