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Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 **Media Thread** NO DISCUSSION #5
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Russia activating 'Operation Fortress' - local media
According to Russian media, a plan known as "Operation Fortress" has been activated in the city of Rostov.Essentially, it is a plan for personnel to be in "full readiness", 161.ru reported.
The plan has also reportedly been activated in Moscow which would ensure Kremlin buildings are protected.
While the exact actions are a state secret, there are reports that the entrances and exits to the Interior Ministry building are currently blocked and military vehicles have been positioned in some Moscow locations.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-66006142
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What is the Wagner boss claiming?
Lets recap what Prigozhin has been saying.He posted a series of furious recordings online on Friday, accusing Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike on Wagner’s camps in Ukraine on Friday.
"Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed," he said.
“They have treacherously cheated us,” he added.
The Russian defence ministry denied carrying out a rocket attack on Wagner forces.
Prigozhin then said his troops would oust Shoigu, and called on the Russian army to stand aside.
“This is not a military coup, but a march of justice,” he
said.
Prigozhin also claimed that Shoigu had personally directed the purported strike and then fled.
“The evil embodied by the country’s military leadership must be stopped,” he shouted.
He has since claimed his forces have crossed from Ukraine into Russia, without providing evidence.
Earlier he released a video saying Russia had had no reason to invade Ukraine and the war had been a disaster.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-66006142
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JUN 23, 2023
https://www.npr.org/2023/06/23/1184090744/russia-wagner-group-yevgeny-prigozhin-criminal-caseThe owner of the Wagner private military contractor made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by calling for the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin and opening a criminal investigation.
In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don, which is home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region and also oversees the fighting in Ukraine.
[...]
He claimed that the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, scrambled warplanes to strike Wagner's convoys, which were driving alongside ordinary vehicles.
[...]
Prigozhin said Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Gerasimov following a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner.
[...]
Prigozhin said late Friday his troops would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin declared.
[...]
Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike and then "cowardly" fled.
[...]
https://www.npr.org/2023/06/23/1184090744/russia-wagner-group-yevgeny-prigozhin-criminal-caseThe owner of the Wagner private military contractor made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by calling for the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin and opening a criminal investigation.
In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don, which is home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region and also oversees the fighting in Ukraine.
[...]
He claimed that the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, scrambled warplanes to strike Wagner's convoys, which were driving alongside ordinary vehicles.
[...]
Prigozhin said Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Gerasimov following a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner.
[...]
Prigozhin said late Friday his troops would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin declared.
[...]
Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike and then "cowardly" fled.
[...]
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BREAKING
Avoid Rostov centre says governor as armed men seen
Things appear to be moving very fast in the city of Rostov-on-Don, where footage on local Telegram channels appear to show armed forces surrounding a government building.The footage - which has not been verified by the BBC - shows armed men in uniform walking around the local interior ministry's building's perimeter, as armoured vehicles surround it, including two tanks with their guns trained on it.
Reuters news agency said it had verified the location as the police headquarters building.
Meanwhile the local governor Vasily Golubev urged residents to avoid the centre of Rostov-on-Don.
"In connection with the current situation, I ask you to refrain from traveling to the city center and, if possible, not to leave your homes," he wrote on Telegram.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-66006142
NEW
Writing on Telegram Sergey Sobyanin wrote: "In connection with the incoming information, anti-terrorist measures are being taken in Moscow aimed at strengthening security measures.
"Additional control on the roads has been introduced.
"It is possible to limit the holding of public events. Please consider the measures taken with understanding."
BREAKING
Anti-terror measures Moscow - mayor
Moscow's mayor has announced anti-terrorist measures are being taken to reinforce security in the capital city.Writing on Telegram Sergey Sobyanin wrote: "In connection with the incoming information, anti-terrorist measures are being taken in Moscow aimed at strengthening security measures.
"Additional control on the roads has been introduced.
"It is possible to limit the holding of public events. Please consider the measures taken with understanding."
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Footage shows armed men skirting Rostov police HQ
Videos posted on Russian local Rostov-on-Don Telegram channels early on Saturday showed armed men in uniform skirting the city’s regional police headquarters, belonging to the interior ministry.Reuters reports it was not immediately clear who the armed men were. The news agency was able to verify the location as the police headquarters building, but not to determine when the video was shot.
Authorities in southern Russian regions had said measures were being taken to ensure public safety after Yevgeny Prigozhin indicated he planned to despatch men to Moscow to oust the military leadership.
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
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Anti-Kremlin tycoon urges Russians to back Wagner boss
Anti-Kremlin figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky has urged Russians to support Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin who, as we've been reporting, has vowed to bring down Moscow's military leadership.Khodorkovsky, who was once Russia’s richest oligarch, said: "We need to help now, and then, if necessary, we will fight this one, too."
After falling out with Vladimir Putin, he spent 10 years in a Russian prison and recently called for tougher sanctions against the Russian president.
Khodorkovsky said it was important to back "even the devil" if he decided to take on the Kremlin.
"And yes, this is just the beginning," he said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-66006142
A serious challenge to Putin - expert
Bernd Debusmann JrBBC News, Washington DC
The upsurge of Russian infighting is being watched closely around the world, including by former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and CIA officer Mick Mulroy.
He told the BBC Wagner boss Prigozhin was now presenting a serious challenge to President Putin.
"It says a lot that Russia had to rely on mercenaries to try and salvage its strategically disastrous invasion of Ukraine. It says even more that Prigozhin is now acknowledging that it was, in fact, unprovoked and that the Russian people were lied to from the beginning," he says.
If Wagner forces can actually threaten Putin's control of the country,
Russia may have to "reorient its military strength toward self-preservation and away from its efforts to stop the Ukrainian counter-offensive", he tells me.
"Even if this attempted coup fails, it emphatically makes the point that those closest to this war know it was a terrible mistake."
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June 23, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news
Russia's FSB security service accused Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin of calling for an "armed rebellion" when he vowed retaliation after claiming Moscow's military killed a "huge amount" of his mercenaries in a strike on a camp.
Russian officials urge Wagner fighters to detain their leader: The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) urged Wagner Group fighters not to follow Prigozhin's orders and implored fighters to take measures to detain him. Similarly, Sergey Surovikin, Russia’s top commander in Ukraine, urged the mercenary fighters to "stop" and to "obey the will" of President Putin. "We are of the same blood. We are warriors. I urge you to stop, the enemy is only waiting for the internal political situation to worsen in our country," Surovikin was seen saying in a video posted to Telegram by a Russian state media reporter.
Russia takes steps to control the narrative: State news TV channel Russia 24 interrupted the broadcast of a program Friday night to read out a message from the Russian Ministry of Defense, stating the claims made by the Wagner mercenary group leader "do not correspond to reality." This statement has been widespread throughout Russia, even appearing on Telegram in a message from the defense ministry.
Russia steps up security: In the Russian city of Rostov near southeast Ukraine, military vehicles could be seen driving the streets. Posts were organized on Saturday in the area of the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov where military personnel and law enforcement officers are keeping order, a TASS correspondent reported. The preparations were taking place as Prigozhin said his fighters were entering the Rostov region. In Moscow, security measures were also visible, according to TASS.
Summary
Here’s an overview of all the latest major developments:- Russia’s FSB security service has opened a criminal case for armed mutiny against Yevgeny Prigozhin after the head of the Wagner mercenary group accused the Russian military of targeting his forces and vowed to “destroy” his rivals. In an extraordinary series of audio clips released late on Friday, Prigozhin claimed that a rocket attack in the Russian region of Rostov had killed scores of his fighters, vowing to take “revenge” and “stop the evil brought by the military leadership of the country”.
- The FSB said Prigozhin’s statements and actions were “in fact a call to start an armed civil conflict on the territory of the Russian Federation and a stab in the back to Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces”. It urged Wagner fighters “not to make irreparable mistakes, to stop any forceful actions against the Russian people, not to carry out the criminal and treacherous orders of Prigozhin, and to take measures to detain him”.
- Early on Saturday, Prigozhin released another voice message in which he claimed, without offering any evidence, that his forces had left Ukraine and were entering the southern Russian city of Rostov. “Right now we have crossed all the border points … The border guards greeted us and hugged our fighters. Now we are entering Rostov,” he said. “If anyone gets in our way, we will destroy everything … We extend our hand to everyone. We move forward, we are going all the way!”
- Prigozhin claimed in an audio message that Wagner shot down a Russian helicopter that opened fire on the convoy near Rostov. He did not provide evidence.
- Security measures have been strengthened in Moscow, with critical facilities taken under increased protection, Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing law enforcement agencies. Unconfirmed footage also appeared to show military vehicles on the streets of the Russian capital.
A view of the Kremlin in Moscow overnight on Friday. Photograph: AP
- Emergency protocols were also implemented in the city of Rostov, involving the full mobilisation of the local security services, according to several Telegram channels linked to security service. Pictures published by local media showed armour vehicles appearing on the streets. Baza, a Telegram channel linked to Russian security services, reported that helicopters were seen flying over Rostov.
- Gen Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russia’s Ukraine campaign, released a video address ordering the mercenaries to remain loyal to Putin. “I urge you to stop,” said Surovikin, who was previously understood to be close to Prigozhin. “The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to worsen in our country.”
- Russian president Vladimir Putin was getting round-the-clock updates from all relevant state security agencies on the measures being taken to thwart an attempted armed mutiny, Tass reported. “All necessary measures are being taken,” Russian state media quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying.
- Earlier on Friday, Prigozhin had accused Moscow’s leadership of lying to the public about the justifications for invading Ukraine. He dismissed Moscow’s claims that Kyiv was planning to launch an offensive on the Russian-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine in February 2022, saying: “The ministry of defence is trying to deceive the public and the president and spin the story that there was insane levels of aggression from the Ukrainian side and that they were going to attack us together with the whole Nato block.”
- The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces has confirmed for the first time that the main force of his offensive reserve is yet to be committed into battle with Russia, saying: “Everything is still ahead.” In an exclusive interview with the Guardian from a military base in east Ukraine, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said the Russian general staff had anticipated where Ukraine’s forces were at their most dangerous but issued a warning to the Kremlin that he was hunting down the lethal weakness in their lines.
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
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Wagner's Yevgeny Prigozhin accused of "armed rebellion" by Russia: Live updates
Videos appear to show military vehicles and helicopters in Rostov
Videos posted to social media purport to show military helicopters flying over the Russian city of Rostov and a number of armored vehicles on city streets on Saturday morning.The videos have been geolocated by CNN to Teatral'nyy Prospekt, in Rostov.
It is currently unclear whose command these vehicles are under the control of. Rostov region Governor Vasily Golubev asked residents on Saturday morning to stay calm and not leave their homes.
Rostov is in Russia's south, near to the border with southeastern Ukraine, and about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Moscow.
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Google News blocked in Russia, NetBlocks says
Metrics show that the Google News website is currently unavailable in Russia, according to internet usage tracker NetBlocks.The UK-based monitoring organisation posted data showing a drop in users since the tensions with the Wagner Group began.
What has been happening?
Thomas MackintoshLive reporter in London
Lets take a step back and recap the developments of the past few hours.
There has been a dramatic escalation of infighting between Russia's Wagner mercenary group and the Russian military.
- Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin called for rebellion against the army, accusing it of carrying out a missile strike against his forces, something the defence ministry denies
- The Kremlin says Prigozhin is now being investigated for inciting mutiny
- Security has been tightened in Moscow and in the city of Rostov-on-Don, about 100km to the east of the Ukrainian border
- Prigozhin says his forces have entered Russia from Ukraine - although we have not yet seen evidence of this. He has also claimed his forces have shot down a Russian helicopter, again without providing evidence
- The governor of Russia's Rostov region has told residents to stay indoors and remain calm
- Russian president Vladimir Putin is being updated on the situation, as is US President Joe Biden
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Extraordinary escalation in Wagner-Kremlin rift
Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor
It’s no secret that tension has been growing between Russia’s Ministry of Defence and the Wagner mercenary group over how the war in Ukraine has been fought.
That tension has now come to a head in the most extraordinary fashion.
First Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian military, his own side, of launching a missile strike on a Wagner base camp, killing, he claimed, many fighters.
He presented no evidence for that, but he used the claim to declare what he called "A March of Justice", and said he had 25,000 fighters ready to rid the Russian military leadership of evil.
The Russian authorities accused Prigozhin of organising an armed mutiny. Senior Russian military figures have been calling on Wagner fighters not to obey his orders.
One lieutenant general described the Wagner chief’s actions as “a stab in the back of the country and the president”.
The Kremlin said that President Putin had been informed of what was happening.
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