Normally I don’t work this late but there are potentially world-changing events happening tonight. For those that need a quick primer, you can go back and read these four posts for the longer version. This has been building up for months:
The bullet points:
- Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group and longtime friend of Putin, has been berating the Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu publicly for months, blaming him for failures in Ukraine.
- Wagner took the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut while the Russian army seemed to be accomplishing nothing. This raised Prigozhin’s stock and he became even more outspoken.
- Wagner retreated and handed Bakhmut over to the Russian army. Prigozhin mocked the army and predicted they would lose all his gains.
- Prigozhin was told his troops would need to sign new agreements with the army, effectively putting them under the control of Prigozhin’s nemesis, defense minister Shoigu.
- Prigozhin said no even after Putin endorsed the plan.
- Friday, Prigozhin released a message saying the entire pretext for the invasion was a lie concocted by the defense minister for his own aggrandizement.
- Hours later, Prigozhin claims defense minister Shoigu had bombed a camp full of his troops. He announced a “March for Justice” which he said wasn’t a coup but would rid the government of Shoigu.
So now let’s catch up on events of the past few hours. Prigozhin’s troops have been fighting with the army in and around the Russian town of Rostov.
BREAKING:
The Wagner Group has launched a military coup and are now fighting against the Russian Army.
Around 30 000 Wagner soldiers have now taken control of a large area north of the Russian city of Rostov.
A Russian helicopter has been shot down. pic.twitter.com/wEf7Vw63pJ
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 24, 2023
BREAKING:
The Wagner Group enters the Russian city of Rostov as part of the military coup they have launched. pic.twitter.com/ageStcUnIa
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 24, 2023
They attacked the headquarters of the defense ministry in Rostov.
BREAKING:
The Wagner Group is storming the headquarters of the Russian Defense Ministry in the city of Rostov.
The military coup continues pic.twitter.com/91yqLti4AG
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 24, 2023
They apparently have taken control of the city.
Russian police officers meeting in Central Rostov to discuss what to do as the Wagner Group takes control of the city following the military coup. pic.twitter.com/WAOm2gtXk0
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 24, 2023
Here’s Prigozhin apparently talking calmly with a deputy defense minister in Rostov.
In another video posted shortly afterwards, Prigozhin says Wagner controls “the military facilities of Rostov, including the airport,” but is not hindering operations in the invasion of Ukraine.
“We do it in such a way that the attack planes do not hit us, but the Ukrainians.” pic.twitter.com/kGR8ij9AVu
— max seddon (@maxseddon) June 24, 2023
Prigozhin’s forces are already headed to Voronezh which is about halfway to Moscow.
BREAKING:
A Wagner Group military convoy has left the city of Rostov and is heading towards the city of Voronezh.
Voronezh is 6 hours from Moscow by car. pic.twitter.com/4pw4LHlLEN
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 24, 2023
Wagner column in the Voronezh region, ➡️ direction “Moscow” pic.twitter.com/oMreLpZGlf
— MAKS 23 👀🇺🇦 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) June 24, 2023
Lots of Russians trying to get out of the way.
Large traffic jams reported in the Voronezh region as Russians are trying to flee the advancing Wagner troops following the military coup in Russia.pic.twitter.com/NCI7wFtiNy
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 24, 2023
Russian helicopters firing on the Wagner convoy.
BREAKING:
A Russian military helicopter just struck 2 vehicles of a Wagner Group military column in the Voronezh region. pic.twitter.com/H4hSw3Af6U
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 24, 2023
And the highway north of Voronezh has been closed.
The governor of Lipetsk region says the M4 highway linking Rostov to Moscow has been closed at the province’s border with Voronezh region. https://t.co/XOhGRscCFW
— max seddon (@maxseddon) June 24, 2023
Read the full article here