Staff Reports
As tensions escalate in Russia, a paramilitary organization with close ties to the country’s President Vladimir Putin made a shocking move. The Wagner Group, whose mercenaries had been fighting alongside Putin’s troops against Ukraine, did a complete 180-degree turn and entered Russia with a vengeance against Putin’s military leaders.
Is There a Coup Attempt Underway in Russia?
https://t.co/UQks307471— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 24, 2023
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner Group’s leader, took to social media network Telegram to claim that the Russian military had killed “huge numbers” of his fighters in a strike on a Wagner camp. The military denied these strikes had occurred, and there was no independent evidence to support his claim. But Prigozhin took this opportunity to retaliate against the “evil” in Russia’s military, calling for a “march for justice” and urging his troops to oust Russian military leadership.
Remember 97% of the Russian army is fighting in Ukraine right now, according to U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
Unprecedented events tonight in Russia.
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) June 23, 2023
A senior American intelligence official tells me for both Ukraine and U.S. intelligence, it’s a “watch and see if they destroy themselves sort of situation.” They said it was going to be a long night of watching how this develops. Said Wagner is preparing* to mobilize—it’s… https://t.co/I1eofkDZj8
— Jim LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) June 23, 2023
Russian authorities immediately issued an arrest warrant for Prigozhin, charging him with inciting mutiny. Meanwhile, the military commanders who had worked with Wagner urged the group’s fighters to stop before it was too late, fearing a civil war inside the country. Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, the deputy chief of Russian military intelligence, urged the Wagner Group to “come back to your senses.”
Prigozhin claimed that his forces were making their way to the southern Russian city of Rostov, where young conscripts had offered no resistance. There was no independent confirmation of this claim. However, with Moscow reportedly on “high alert,” secure against a possible attack from the Wagner mercenaries, the picture is far from clear.
While it seems improbable that the Wagner Group could take on and topple Russia’s military and Putin’s security forces in Moscow, coups are hard to predict. One senior American intelligence official sees the situation as a “watch and see” moment – will the mercenaries destroy themselves, or will they succeed in overthrowing Putin’s military?
The stakes are high, and Putin certainly must be feeling the pressure. With most of Russia’s forces currently tied up in Ukraine, securing Moscow against the Wagner mercenaries, will be a challenge. But ultimately, Putin is a tyrannical leader who is not afraid to use force to maintain his power. The situation bears close watching.
