Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 **Media Thread** NO DISCUSSION #5

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1672622808789123076

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Pro-Ukraine Russian units supported Prigozhin's coup in Russia - Euromaidan Press
Two pro-Ukrainian units formed of Russian citizens, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) and the Russia Freedom Legion (LSR), supported the Wagner Group’s coup against the Russian authorities, and called on their supporters to take action.

The Russia Freedom legion wrote on Telegram, “Prigozhin is our enemy on the battlefield, but now he is telling the truth: about how cowardly generals send hundreds of thousands of Russians to their deaths as cannon fodder.”

“Soldiers, officers: your time has come. Turn your weapons against the towers of the Kremlin, do not let the internecine strife drown Russia in blood. It is time to stop the senseless and brutal killing of Ukrainians and the deaths of thousands of Russians at the front and return home: to where you are needed now,” the LRS said.

In turn, RDK commander Denis Nikitin said he is “sincerely rooting for the success of Prigozhin’s mission,” because the “bloody Kremlin regime can only be brought down in one way – by an armed uprising. This is the uprising that Prigozhin has started.”

“I urge all supporters of the RDC to take active action! We all have a unique chance to determine our own destiny and the destiny of our country,” he said in his video address.

 

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Mercenary troops withdraw from Rostov as Prigozhin calls off rebellion – as it happened

The mercenaries’ chief said he had halted his troops to avoid ‘Russian bloodshed’, and he is not facing charges

www.theguardian.com

5m ago11.51 EDT

Moscow mayor urges people to stay home​

The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin has said in a statement that Moscow residents should refrain from trips around the city as far as possible given a counter-terrorism operation has been declared and said the situation was “difficult”, Reuters reports.

Sobyanin also said in the statement, released on Telegram, that Monday would be a “non-working day” in order “to minimise risks”.

 

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June 24, 2023 - Wagner head says group standing down

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed Saturday that he was turning his forces around from a march toward Moscow in what Russian President Putin called an "armed uprising." Follow for live updates.

www.cnn.com

15 min ago

Analysis: Putin has only himself to blame as infighting engulfs Kremlin insiders​

Analysis from CNN's Nathan Hodge

In the years leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a St. Petersburg-based businessman named Yevgeny Prigozhin emerged as a canny political entrepreneur.

Prigozhin and his companies served the interests of the Russian state, advancing Putin’s foreign policy in ways that were both useful and off the books.

Prigozhin’s relatively discreet public profile was his greatest asset. He bankrolled the notorious troll farm that the US government sanctioned for interference in the 2016 US presidential election; created a substantial mercenary force that played a key role in conflicts from Ukraine’s Donbas region to the Syrian civil war; and helped Moscow make a play for influence on the African continent.

All of Prigozhin’s activities gave the Kremlin a fig leaf of deniability. After all, mercenary activity was technically barred by Russian law, and Putin could always maintain that interference in US elections was merely the work of “patriotic” hackers.

[...]

Read the full analysis here.

 

[PommyMommy]

Wagner troops advance to Moscow as Putin vows to stop ‘rebellion’​

Facing the first serious challenge to his grip on power, Putin vowed to crush armed mutiny by Wagner forces.

• ''Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters have advanced towards Moscow after seizing a southern city overnight, with Russia’s military firing on them from the air but seemingly incapable of slowing their lightning advance.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin says an “armed mutiny” by the Wagner Group is treason, adding that “decisive action” will be taken against them.''
• ''The authorities in Moscow and the surrounding area say they have declared a “counterterrorism” state of emergency after Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his forces were in control of military sites in Rostov.
• Earlier, Prigozhin accused Russia’s top military leadership of ordering a rocket attack on Wagner’s field camps in Ukraine, where “huge numbers” of his fighters had been killed.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says “Russia’s weakness is obvious” and that the longer Moscow keeps its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine, the more chaos it would invite back home.''

Moscow's mayor asks residents not to use cars or work Monday amid rebellion by mercenary chief​

''Moscow’s mayor warned Saturday that traffic could be restricted in parts of Russia’s capital as part of heightened security prompted by the rebellion of mercenaries with private military company Wagner.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin asked the city’s residents to refrain from using their cars amid the counter-terrorism operation in Moscow and the surrounding region that authorities introduced earlier Saturday. He also declared Monday a non-working day for most people, with the exception of public servants and employees of some industrial enterprises.

Sobyanin noted that all key city services were put on high readiness and advised residents to report any emergencies.''

 

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Russian oligarchs & politicians are leaving Moscow en masse on private jets...

The business jet of oligarch Arkady Rotenberg, who is very close to Putin, left Moscow at 11:30 am and landed in Baku at 15:04. The flight was scheduled last night.

The plane of Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov left Moscow at 07:00 and landed in Dalaman, Turkey at 12:06

The business jet of the oligarch Vladimir Potanin is waiting for a flight from Moscow to Istanbul .
Putin's plane with the "red button" TU-214PU is returning back to Moscow having gone to St Petersburg.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672630439498874880

 

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Wagner chief Prigozhin says Putin was wrong to accuse him of treason​

Breaking news - Mutinous Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday that he and his men would not turn themselves in on the orders of President Vladimir Putin. Putin had earlier vowed to crush what he called an armed mutiny after Prigozhin's private army seized control of a southern city as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership. "The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it," Prigozhin said in an audio message.''

 

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Rostov-on-Don: why has Russian city been targeted by Wagner group?​

Rostov-on-Don is the largest city in southern Russia and is the capital of the Rostov region that adjoins parts of eastern Ukraine where the war is raging.

The city – just 60 miles (100km) from Ukraine’s border – is home to the Russian southern military district command, whose 58th Combined Arms Army is fighting against Kyiv’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) thinktank.

Rostov also houses the command centre for the Russian joint group of forces in Ukraine as a whole and is therefore a critical logistical hub for the Russian army.
Any threat to the Russian military’s presence there is likely to have ramifications on some critical aspects of the war effort, the ISW says

 

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Live updates: Wagner chief stoking 'armed rebellion,' Putin says​

9 min ago

Moscow mayor confirms "counter-terrorism regime" in city and declares Monday a "non-working day"​

[...]

According to Sobyanin, Moscow city services are on high alert.

Russian state media RIA Novosti reported Saturday that security measures are being strengthened at a number of places on the Moscow Ring Road. A checkpoint with a grenade launcher and an armored personnel carrier was installed at the exit from the Moscow Ring Road in the Yasenevo area and vehicles are being checked, according to RIA.

Earlier Saturday, the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee announced the introduction of a "counter-terrorist operation regime" in Moscow, as well as the Moscow region and Voronezh region.

The counter-terrorist regime includes, but is not limited to:

• document checks
• strengthened protection of public order
• monitoring telephone conversations
• restricting communications
• restricting the movement of vehicles and pedestrians on the streets.

The latest Wagner movements: Equipment of the Wagner private military company is moving across territory in the southern Russian region of Lipetsk, according to the region's governor, Igor Artamonov.

Lipetsk is the main city in the region of the same name, and it is about 470 kilometers (292 miles) south of Moscow.

 

[PommyMommy]

Mercenary troops withdraw from Rostov as Prigozhin calls off rebellion – as it happened

The mercenaries’ chief said he had halted his troops to avoid ‘Russian bloodshed’, and he is not facing charges

www.theguardian.com

13m ago17.13 BST
Former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, said on Saturday that Russia will not allow the Wagner mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin to turn into a coup or a global crisis, Russia’s state news agency TASS reports.

Answering questions from journalists, Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, said the whole world would be on the brink of catastrophe if Russian nuclear weapons fell into the hands of Wagner.

“The history of mankind hasn’t yet seen the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons under control by bandits,” Medvedev said. “Such a crisis will not be limited by just one country’s borders, the world will be put on the brink of destruction.”

He added: “We won’t allow such a turn of events.”

Medvedev has frequently used hardline rhetoric since Russia sent troops into Ukraine, regularly reminding the West about Russia’s nuclear arsenal in a bid to discourage the U.S. and its allies from ramping up weapons supplies to Kyiv.

 

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Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 23, 2023​

Jun 23, 2023 - Press ISW

Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to have launched an armed rebellion on June 23 to force a leadership change within the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) which is unlikely to succeed. Prigozhin amplified a video from a Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel on June 23 which reportedly shows the aftermath of a missile strike on a rear-area Wagner camp and accused the Russian MoD of conducting that strike. ISW cannot independently verify the veracity of the video, and it may have been manufactured for informational purposes. Prigozhin used the video to then justify his most explicit rhetorical escalation against the Russian MoD to date and a call for action against the Russian MoD. Prigozhin claimed that the Wagner Commanders’ Council made the decision to stop “the evil brought by the military leadership” who neglect and destroy the lives of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers. Prigozhin urged the Russian people not to resist, to remain calm, remain in their homes, and warned that Wagner will “deal” with those who destroyed Russian soldiers before returning to the frontlines in Ukraine after restoring justice for all. Prigozhin also notably accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of personally planning an operation to destroy Wagner and claimed that 25,000 Wagner personnel are prepared to act. Prigozhin later posted an audio message qualifying his previous statements and claiming that there is no “coup,” only a “march for justice.”

 

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Forces led by Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin advanced in the direction of Moscow on Saturday, moving north from the Voronezh region to the Lipetsk region, which is roughly 250 miles from the Russian capital. President Vladimir Putin, citing a threat to his nation, said he had ordered the military to quash the “rebellion” led by Prigozhin, who on Friday called for Russians to join a campaign against Russia’s military leadership.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/24/russia-ukraine-war-news-wagner-prigozhin/

 

[PommyMommy]

Mercenary troops withdraw from Rostov as Prigozhin calls off rebellion – as it happened

The mercenaries’ chief said he had halted his troops to avoid ‘Russian bloodshed’, and he is not facing charges

www.theguardian.com

2m ago17.38 BST
The Moscow region has suspended mass events outdoors and at educational institutions until 1 July, authorities have announced.

This follows the mayor of Moscow urging residents to refrain from travelling around the capital.

Live Updates | Armed rebellion by Russian mercenary chief

The Kremlin says the head of the private Russian military company Wagner will move to neighboring Belarus as part of deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s troops who joined him in the...

apnews.com

The governor’s decree doesn’t apply to the city itself but the surrounding areas. However, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital as part of the counter-terrorism operation prompted by the rebellion.

 

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Opposition politician Mikhail Khodorkovsky urged Russians to arm themselves

1) Now we see that only armed people can resist a dictatorship.
2) Prigozhin's mutiny will end with his or Putin's personal elimination. After that, there will be a reaction and tightening of the screws anyway.
3) So now there is a small window of opportunity when there is chaos in the streets and the security forces are not in control.
4) If you see in yourself the power in the future to become the armed men who will oppose Putin or Prigozhin, then it's time to arm yourselves.
5) Prigozhin is not our friend or even ally. He is a and a war criminal. But his rebellion is a unique opportunity, and there won't be another like it for a long time," wrote Khodorkovsky in his telegram channel.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672647424186220545

 

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Analysis: Moscow is at risk of losing its iron grip on power in Russia. The next 24 hours are critical | CNN

This just does not happen in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Especially in public.

The Russian president is facing the most serious threat to his hold on power in all the 23 years he’s run the nuclear state. And it is staggering to behold the veneer of total control he has maintained all that time – the ultimate selling point of his autocracy – crumble overnight.

[...]

... But what we are seeing today – with Putin forced to admit that Rostov-on-Don, his main military hub, is out of his control – puts paid to any idea that this was managed by the Kremlin.

[...]

Perhaps Prigozhin dreamt he could push Putin into a change at the top of a ministry of defense the Wagner chief has publicly berated for months. But Putin’s address on Saturday morning has eradicated that prospect. This is now an existential choice for Russia’s elite – between the president’s faltering regime, and the dark, mercenary Frankenstein it created to do its dirty work, which has turned on its masters.

[...]

As this rare Jacobean drama of Russian basic human frailty plays out, it is not inevitable that improvements will follow. Prigozhin may not win, and the foundations of the Kremlin’s control may not collapse. But a weakened Putin may do irrational things to prove his strength.

He may prove unable to accept the logic of defeat in the coming months on the frontlines in Ukraine. He may be unaware of the depth of discontent among his own armed forces, and lack proper control over their actions. Russia’s position as a responsible nuclear power rests on stability at the top.

A lot more can go wrong than it can go right. But it is impossible to imagine Putin’s regime will ever go back to its previous heights of control from this moment. And it is inevitable that further turmoil and change is ahead.

 

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Kremlin denies Putin fled Moscow as plane mysteriously disappears – Russia news​

What’s happening in Russia right now?
2 hours ago

Putin will put his jackboot on the throat of Prigozhin and Wagner – I know from experience​

The first – and most important – thing to know about Vladimir Putin is that he has to show total strength all the time in order to stay in power.

The actions of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary forces, are a direct challenge to that. But Putin’s psychology is the psychology of the prison yard. If you are new in the prison yard you have to show such brutality to make your mark and then keep up that same level to maintain a position at the top. That is what Putin has done ever since he came to power more than 20 years ago.''

''And when he believes that public dissent is rising, he starts a war. He did it with the second Chechen war as he came to power at the turn of the millennium, he did it in Georgia in 2008 and he has done it in Ukraine.

But that means he is now battling on two fronts. He has no choice but to quash this rebellion and show anyone else that any future rebellion would be suicidal. He has to destroy Prigozhin and Wagner, he has to put the jackboot on his throat.

It is not just about Putin’s political position, it is much bigger than that. If he falls, Putin loses all the money he has stolen, he goes to jail and he dies.''

 

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LIVE: Moscow accuses Wagner head of mutiny, after he vows to oust Russia's military leadership​

Russia accused mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin of armed mutiny on Friday after he alleged, without providing evidence, that the military leadership had killed a huge number of his fighters in an air strike and vowed to punish them. Prigozhin, who claims his forces have crossed the border into Russia from Ukraine, vowed to "go to the end" to topple the Russian military leadership, while the country's prosecutor general said he was under investigation for "armed rebellion." Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

 

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