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

[PommyMommy]

2 min ago

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.

www.cnn.com

Prigozhin says his units were hit by a helicopter on a highway​

From CNN's Mariya Knight

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said Saturday his units were hit by a helicopter on a highway and threatened to “destroy everything” in his way, in an audio message posted on his Telegram channel.

It's unclear exactly where the units were.

"One of the assault squads came under fire from the helicopters. The Wagner units are intact, the helicopter is destroyed and is burning in the forest,” Prigozhin said, adding “we will take it as a threat and destroy everything around us.”

CNN is unable to verify these claims and any video evidence of this.

Prigozhin also said his units are “ready to die.”

“Because we are dying for the Russian people, that must be liberated from those people who are striking at the civilian population, which they just hit in Rostov from helicopters,” he said.

This comes as Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Saturday in a Telegram post that “in connection with the incoming information, antiterrorist measures are being taken in Moscow aimed at strengthening security measures.”

“Additional control on the roads has been introduced. Limitations on holding the public events are possible,” Sobyanin added.

 

[JennieM]

US monitoring situation​

The White House has released a brief statement on the situation in Russia.

"We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments," said National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-66006142/page/2

 

[JennieM]

Prigozhin’s apparent rebellion 'unlikely to succeed', says ISW​

Helen Livingstone

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s apparent armed rebellion against the leadership of the Russian ministry of defence is “unlikely to succeed” and he may have “wildly miscalculated”, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said in its latest analysis of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Wagner leader may have thought he would have the backing of Russian president Vladimir Putin, the US thinktank wrote, but that was “extraordinarily unlikely” considering Putin had recently aligned himself more firmly with the Russian defence ministry.

Another possibility was that Prizgozhin’s actions and statements were “a rhetorical overreach in his ongoing dispute with the MoD and his campaign to retain his wavering influence within the Russian information space following the culmination of Wagner’s Bakhmut effort”, it said.

However, this contingency is also highly unlikely, as initial indicators of actual Wagner movements are observable and the Kremlin is not responding to Prigozhin’s statements as only rhetoric.

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

 

[JennieM]

Wagner chief accuses Moscow of lying to public about Ukraine​

Yevgeny Prigozhin dismisses justification for war that Kyiv was planning 2022 attack on Donbas and Crimea

[...]

“What was the war for? The war needed for Shoigu to receive a hero star … The oligarchic clan that rules Russia needed the war,” he said.

“The mentally ill scumbags decided: ‘It’s OK, we’ll throw in a few thousand more Russian men as cannon fodder. They’ll die under artillery fire, but we’ll get what we want,’” Prigozhin continued.

[...]

Wagner chief accuses Moscow of lying to public about Ukraine

Yevgeny Prigozhin dismisses justification for war that Kyiv was planning 2022 attack on Donbas and Crimea

www.theguardian.com

 

[PommyMommy]

Why the Russian FSB is encouraging Prigozhin's Wagner Group soldiers to detain their leader​

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) urged Wagner fighters not to follow their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's orders and also implored fighters to take measures to detain him, in a statement shared by the Russian state media TASS on Friday. CNN's Oren Liebermann and Ben Wedeman break down the major development, and CNN's Alex Marquardt discusses with CNN military analyst Ret. Col. Cedric Leighton and Russia expert Dmitri Alperovitch. #CNN #News

Prigozhin says his forces entered Russian city​

(24 Jun 2023) The owner of the Wagner private military contractor Yevgeny Prigozhin said Saturday that his forces have driven into the Russian city of Rostov facing no resistance. (June 23)

Russia Issues Arrest Warrant for Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin | WSJ​

Russian soldiers in armored personnel carriers secured key installations in Moscow after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner paramilitary group, called on his troops Friday to oust the country’s military leadership.

 

[JennieM]

The rising tensions between Russia and the Wagner group could affect the outcomes of the Ukraine war as it fractures Russia’s military amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces, according to an expert.

Jessica Genauer, an international relations expert at Flinders University in Australia, said:

There’s a lot of uncertainty at the moment as the situation is still evolving, but in any case, it’s clear this is not good news for Putin, and it’s not good news for Russia.
Even if this does create widespread instability, I would see this as part of a far bigger picture that there are cracks starting to emerge in the political domain in Russia as a result of the fact Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has not succeeded in the way Putin expected.

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

 

[JennieM]

Armoured vehicles on a street in Rostov-on-Don. Photograph: Reuters

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

 

[JennieM]

Highway to Moscow closed - regional governor​

The M4 highway has been closed at the border between Lipetsk and Voronezh regions, the Lipetsk governor says.
Earlier he said a Russian military convoy was on the highway.
The M4 connects Moscow to southern regions including Rostov and its main city Rostov-on-Don, where armed men have been seen.
It follows Wagner mercenary group boss Prigozhin's vow to topple Russia's military leadership.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-66006142

The governor of the Lipetsk region in central Russia says the M-4 motorway connecting Moscow with southern regions has been closed to traffic at the border with the Voronezh region, about 400km (250 miles) south of the Russian capital, Reuters reports.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to have sent an armed convoy of his mercenary fighters on a 1,200km (750-mile) drive towards Moscow, having said he intends 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

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

Why is Rostov-on-Don significant?​

The US thinktank the Institute of War (ISW) believes Yevgeny Prigozhin is aiming to force a leadership change within the Kremlin's defence ministry - but suggests he is "unlikely to succeed" because the Kremlin appears opposed to his action.

However any Wagner attempt to take control of Rostov-on-Don could have an impact on the war in Ukraine because Rostov is home to the Russian southern military district command, which has been key to Russia's war efforts.

The southern military district’s 58th combined arms army is “currently decisively engaged in defensive operations against Ukrainian counteroffensives in southern Ukraine, and the command centre for the Russian joint group of forces in Ukraine as a whole”, it says.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-66006142

 

[PommyMommy]

Associated Press 8 minutes ago

Russian mercenary chief says his forces are rebelling, some left Ukraine and entered city in Russia

The Russian owner of the private military contractor Wagner has made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister.

apnews.com

[...]

Prigozhin claimed early Saturday that his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and had reached Rostov, saying they faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and that his forces “aren’t fighting against children.”

[...]

Prigozhin, who said he had 25,000 troops under his command, said 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.”

The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, charged him with calling for an armed rebellion, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The FSB urged Wagner’s contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his “criminal and treacherous orders.” It called his statements a “stab in the back to Russian troops” and said they amounted to fomenting armed conflict.

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672457668101906432

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672458275541876736

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672468184161452032

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672475338251591681

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672464915666292737

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672465321377005568

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672469329126780928

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672472594790903809

 

[PommyMommy]

@jimsciutto

Breaking: In address, Russian President Putin says those on a path of treason or armed rebellion will be punished: “Those who carry deliberately went on a path of treason, preparing an armed rebellion when you were preparing terrorist attacks, will be punished," Putin said.

Putin added that "any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood for us as a nation; it is a blow to Russia for our people and our actions to protect our homeland. Such a threat will face a severe response."

This is quite an admission from Putin: "In Rostov, the work of civil and military administration is basically blocked," Putin said.

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672550600855154688

 

[PommyMommy]

1h ago07.45 EDT

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

Here are the latest images coming across the wires:

A view of streets amid tensions between the Kremlin and the head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Members of Wagner group patrol in an area near a tank outside a circus building in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Servicemen from Wagner Group block a street in downtown Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia. Photograph: Arkady Budnitsky/EPA

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672484691604111360

 

[PommyMommy]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/jun/23/russia-ukraine-war-live-russia-investigates-mutiny-as-wagner-chief-says-evil-military-leaders-must-be-stopped
32m ago08.22 EDT
Russian soldiers have reportedly set up a machine gun position on the edge of Moscow, according to photographs published by a Russian newspaper.

According to Reuters, Vedomosti newspaper reported the gun had been set up at the south-western edge of the city. Photographs also showed armed police gathering at the point where the M4 highway – which mutinous Wagner mercenaries are moving along – reaches the Russian capital. The Kyiv Post, a Ukrainian newspaper, reported that trenches were being dug on the edge of Moscow.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672572943472246786

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672586425223503875

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672559389721391109

 

[PommyMommy]

14m ago13.43 BST

Wagner uprising shows Russia’s ‘full-scale’ weakness and chaos, says Zelenskiy – Ukraine war live​

Large amount of cash found at Prigozhin's offices during raid​

Large amounts of cash were found during a raid on Prigozhin’s office, he has reportedly confirmed.

Russian media had reported that money was found at the St Petersburg address, something Prigozhin has now confirmed according to Reuters.

He has said the money was for Wagner expenses, they report.

Russian state media has also reported that President Putin has held a call with Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who expressed support for the current Russian leadership, they claim.

A Security Council Statement from Belarus has also said that country remains an ally of Russia and that internal disputes are a “gift to the collective West”.

9m ago22.49 AEST
Flights from Moscow have reportedly sold out as the Wagner mercenary group approach.

Der Spiegel has reported that tickets for direct connections from Moscow to Tbilisi, Astana and Istanbul are no longer available.

Google Maps is showing road closures on the M4 south of Moscow, the route the Wagner rebels are taking.