Moscow: Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, revealed on Monday that the one-day mutiny orchestrated by his forces was not intended to overthrow the Russian government, but rather to express dissatisfaction with its handling of the war in Ukraine.
In his first public statements since ending the mutiny, Prigozhin reiterated his belief that Wagner was the most formidable fighting force in Russia and even globally. He highlighted their effectiveness compared to Moscow's deployed units in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, reported Reuters. He asserted that Wagner's ability to peacefully seize the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and bring an armed convoy within 200 kilometers of Moscow demonstrated the prowess of his fighters.
In an 11-minute audio message released on the Telegram messaging app, he stated, "We showed a master class, as it should have been on Feb. 24, 2022. We did not have the goal of overthrowing the existing regime and the legally elected government." The mercenary leader clarified that Wagner halted its advance toward Moscow when they realized they would have to confront Russian troops, potentially leading to bloodshed—an assertion he made on Saturday.
He also reiterated his unverified claim that the Russian military had attacked a Wagner camp using missiles and helicopters, resulting in the deaths of approximately 30 Wagner members. He described this incident as the immediate trigger for what he referred to as a "march of justice." He asserted that Wagner had not spilled a drop of blood during their northward march but expressed regret that his fighters had been forced to kill Russian servicemen who attacked their convoy from helicopters.
Prigozhin then voiced discontent with a military order requiring all volunteer units, including Wagner, to come under the control of Russia's Defense Ministry by July 1. He revealed that fewer than 2% of Wagner's personnel had signed up for this order. He declared that the purpose of the mutiny was to safeguard the survival of Wagner.
He did not address the lingering questions surrounding the agreement brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, which ended the mutiny.
On Saturday, the Kremlin stated that the deal included dropping a criminal case against Prigozhin and his relocation to Belarus.