Russia, on the verge of a coup d'état. Prigojin declares war on Shoigu: "We're going all the way"
The leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, launched a declaration of war on the Ministry of Defense in Moscow after a Wagner camp was allegedly hit by a Russian missile. However, the information was denied by the Ministry of Defense. Shoigu promises that "he will take care of those who destroy the Russian soldiers", and then he will return to the front line on the front in Ukraine, writes Digi 24.
“Right now, we've crossed the state line in all the places. The border guards came out to meet and embraced our fighters. Now we enter Rostov (...). We don't fight with children. We don't kill children. Shoigu is killing children, throwing untrained soldiers into the war, including conscripts," said Evgheni Prigojin.
On the other hand, the leader of pro-Russian militias in Donetsk, Igor Girkin Strelkov, says that a military coup is being prepared in Russia. On Friday night, columns of Wagner fighters began moving from Ukraine to Rostov, and the authorities placed more armored vehicles on the streets of the city. And in Moscow, armored vehicles and trucks full of soldiers were taken out on the streets, guarding important targets in the Russian capital.
The escalation of infighting in Russia 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's Wagner that Prigozhin now presents a serious challenge to President Putin.
The Kremlin says Prigozhin is now being investigated for sedition. Security was tightened in Moscow and the city of Rostov-on-Don, about 100 km east of the border with Ukraine.
On the other hand, Russian media reports that the Ukrainian army took advantage of Prigozhin's provocation and is now concentrating units in the Bahmut tactical direction for a further offensive, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. Prigozhin, a former Putin ally, has been at loggerheads with Moscow in recent months. On Friday, he said the Kremlin's rationale for invading Ukraine, which he calls a "special military operation," is based on lies.
Wagner led Russia's operation to capture the Ukrainian city of Bahmut last month, Russia's biggest victory in 10 months, and Prigozhin has used his battlefield success to criticize the defense ministry leadership with apparent impunity — until now , according to Reuters.
For months, he has openly accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general Valeri Gerasimov of incompetence. Army Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video call asking Prigozhin to reconsider his actions. "Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to violate his authority," he said.
Meanwhile, the Russian military launched a massive missile attack on a large part of Ukrainian territory. Kiev has placed the entire country under anti-aircraft alert. The Air Force of Ukraine reported that launches of air-launched cruise missiles were recorded, according to Unian. The remains of a missile fell on a 24-story building. According to the source, casualties were recorded.
