Prigozhin:
“The majority of the military are warmly supporting us. We get messages: “Finally, the jusice in the army will come! Finally, you will ensure we will get the ammo and won’t be thrown as meat!”
Just now, the information came through: in Rostov morgue, the Minister of Defence ordered to hide 2000 bodies, which are held there to avoid showcasing the losses.”
https://anonfiles.com/S6u3pbydz9/audio4_mp3
https://anonfiles.com/T0u9peyez4/audio5_mp3
Prigoginedeclared a rebellion againstShoigu. Highlights at midnight
At 20:59 Moscow time, a telegram channel associated with the illegal formation of Wagner PMC reported that the Russian military had attacked the rear camp of mercenaries . One of the authors of the published video says that the shelling was carried out by “allies”.
A few minutes later, the attack on the positions of the Wagnerites was confirmed by the owner of the PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin. He blamed the Russian Defense Ministry for the shelling: he said that “a huge number of fighters” had died, and promised to respond to “this atrocity.” The Defense Ministry denied the allegations.
Later, Prigozhin issued several more statements: he said that the Wagnerites would stop Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, asked not to get in their way and invited everyone to join his mercenaries . Prigozhin does not consider his actions a military coup and calls them a “march of justice.” According to him, most of the military support the mercenaries.
In connection with Prigozhin’s statements, the FSB opened a criminal case on incitement to an armed rebellion, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee reported . “ We demand an immediate cessation of illegal actions ,” the statement says. Vladimir Putin is aware of the situation, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
There is a panic in the presidential administration, they do not exclude the scenario of the start of a civil war , a source close to the Presidential Administration told “Important stories”. He called the video of the consequences of the strike on the location of the mercenaries a staging. Nestka reported that the territory of the Kremlin was closed to the public until further notice.
The “Fortress” plan was introduced in police stations in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don, several telegram channels connected with the security forces reported. Information about its introduction in Rostov was confirmed by the source of Important Stories. The “Fortress” plan, in particular, provides for the collection of personnel and the taking under control of especially important objects of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Security Service or the Federal Penitentiary Service. It was also reported that SOBR fighters were sent to Belgorod from Moscow, and conscripts began to be armed in Rostov . The Rostov edition 161.rupublished a photo of military equipment on the streets of the city.
Prigozhin announced the beginning of an armed conflict with the Russian Defense Ministry. Main
This was preceded by the accusation by the owner of PMC Shoigu of launching a missile attack on a mercenary camp.
DATE
JUNE 23, 2023
AUTHOR
EDITORIAL
Prigozhin announced the beginning of an armed conflict with the Russian Defense Ministry. Main
EVGENY PRIGOZHIN / SCREENSHOT FROM A VIDEO POSTED ON HIS PRESS SERVICE’S TELEGRAM CHANNEL ON JUNE 23
Prigozhin’s statements
On the evening of June 23, the head of the illegal Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced the beginning of an armed conflict with the Russian Defense Ministry. The message appeared in the telegram channel of his press service.
“The Council of Commanders of PMC Wagner made a decision: the evil that the military leadership of the country bears must be stopped. They neglect the lives of soldiers, they forgot the word “justice”, and we will return it! Therefore, those who destroyed our guys today, destroyed tens, many tens of thousands of lives of Russian soldiers, will be punished! I ask no one to resist. Anyone who will try to put up this resistance – we will consider that this is a threat, and destroy it immediately. Including any roadblocks that got in our way. Any aircraft that has risen above our heads! ”He said.
“Anyone who resists, we will consider it a threat and destroy it immediately. Including any roadblocks on our way. I ask everyone to remain calm, not to succumb to provocations, and to stay in their homes. It is advisable not to go outside along the route of our route, ”the owner of the PMC warned. He added that “the presidential power, the government, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Guard and other structures will continue to work in the usual manner” after the PMC “deals with those who destroy Russian soldiers.”
After Prigozhin called to join the conflict against the Ministry of Defense. “ We are 25 thousand, and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country (…). Anyone who wants to join. We need to end this mess ,” he said.
Then the owner of the illegal formation accused Shoigu of using gunners and pilots of combat helicopters “in the dark”, and that he allegedly cowardly fled at nine in the evening from Rostov-on-Don, “so as not to explain why he raised helicopters, to destroy our guys, why did he launch missile strikes.
Earlier, at 17:35 Moscow time, the Moscow Laundry telegram channel wrote that Shoigu had come to Rostov-on-Don “not to fight the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” According to the publication, Minister and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov arrived in Rostov-on-Don and are developing a plan to detain Wagner PMC fighters for refusing to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense.
Later, the Hot Spots telegram channel (less than 4,000 subscribers) published a screen of correspondence allegedly sent by the military stationed in Rostov-on-Don. He claims that his unit was given the task of “wetting the Wagners.”
Missile strike accusation
Prior to these statements, Telegram channels associated with PMCs circulated a video allegedly taken at the site of the missile attack. On it, a conversation is heard between two people at the allegedly shelled positions of PMCs, who are accused of hitting “allies” from the Ministry of Defense.
The “strike” itself was not caught on video, and the footage itself does not allow drawing conclusions about the number of victims.
Bellingcat journalist Arik Toler noted that the location of the alleged “strike” on the Wagner PMC camp coincides with previously filmed videos of “commander” Alexander Simonov, who visited the mercenary camp.
At the same time, on June 1, Prigozhin said that the rear camps of Wagner PMCs are located in the DPR and LPR. “We remain in the rear camps in the LPR and DPR, but we take the guys away from the line of contact,” the owner of the PMC said a few days after his mercenaries left Bakhmut.
The reaction of the Russian authorities
The Russian Defense Ministry denied accusations of attacking the rear camps of PMC Wagner. “All the messages and video frames distributed on social networks on behalf of Yevgeny Prigozhin about the alleged strike by the Russian Defense Ministry on the Russian Federation do not correspond to reality and are an informational provocation,” the message says.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin was “informed” about the situation around Prigozhin, and “all necessary measures are being taken.”
After that, it became known that the FSB of Russia opened a criminal case on the fact of calling for an armed rebellion. This was reported in the National Anti-Terrorism Committee. “We demand an immediate cessation of illegal actions.” As stated in the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, the allegations spread on behalf of Yevgeny Prigozhin have no basis.
According to the source of Important Stories, there is a panic in the presidential administration: they do not exclude the scenario of the start of a civil war. At the same time, the information that Prigozhin was preparing something was in the office a week ago. He called the video with the alleged consequences of a missile attack on the location of the Wagner PMC a staging.
In the pro-war telegram channels, information appeared that in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don, the security forces, including the National Guard, were being put on alert, and an emergency statement was being prepared in the central apparatus of the Ministry of Defense in Moscow. According to Layout, the territory of the Moscow Kremlin was closed to visitors.
The reaction of the Ukrainian military leadership
The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Kirill Budanov , declared that “Putin’s fragile dictatorship has fallen”. “Rashists began to gnaw at each other for power and money. Prigozhin threatens to “go on a campaign” to Moscow. Shoigu, according to him, fled from Rostov, so as not to become a victim in the massacre. What happened was what we talked about for a long time. The resilience and courage of the Ukrainian nation, despite the lack of assistance from Western partners, helped to survive the most difficult days of Russian aggression. And now the word is up to our trained assault brigades, who, on the shoulders of the invaders, will liberate Ukraine and those territories that want to be part of our powerful, invincible and glorious country,” his telegram channel says
