What is happening in Russia?
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐: The situation in Russia involves the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary military group led by Prigozhin, which has declared an armed rebellion against the Russian military. This has created a civil war-like scenario in the country.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฉ:
The Wagner Group is a Russian mercenary private military group (PMC) with over 60K soldiers, known for fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. Despite private military companies being prohibited in Russia, Wagner has been allowed to operate outside the law due to their pro-government stance and leader Prigozhinโs close association with Putin.
Additionally, Wagner has a significant presence in Syria and various African countries, where its fighters supported Bashar Al Assad during the Syrian civil war. They also engage in multiple mining operations across several African nations.
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐จ๐ณ๐ก๐ข๐ง?
Yevgeny Prigozhin, often referred to as โPutinโs chef,โ is a Russian oligarch and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin. He is the leader of the Wagner Group. Prigozhin earned his nickname from his early career in the food and catering industry, including providing catering services to Putin and the Kremlin.
Once a convict in the Soviet Union, Prigozhin has become one of the most influential figures in Russia. Apart from leading Wagner, he operates numerous dubious companies, allegedly with President Putinโs approval. He is also believed to be the financial backer of the Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll farm accused of interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ?
Earlier today, Prigozhin made a video statement on his official Telegram group, accusing the Russian military of attacking his fighters in Ukraine. It is worth noting that Prigozhin has long accused the Russian military of corruption, alleging that Russian generals exploit the Ukraine war as a means to line their own pockets.
In one of his videos, an enraged Prigozhin showcased the bodies of deceased Wagner fighters, claiming that they were killed because the Russian military failed to provide them with sufficient ammunition.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐งโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐
In response to the attempted military coup by the Wagner Group, Putin delivered a speech on state TV. A visibly stressed Putin denounced the Wagner Group as a โcriminal enterpriseโ and characterized their mutiny as an โact of treason.โ
Putin stressed the severe threat that this mutiny poses to Russia and vowed to โpunishโ all those involved. He declared the mutiny a โstab in the back of our country and our peopleโ and promised severe repercussions for the rebellionโs planners.
๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ซ ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ง:
In response to Putinโs speech, Wagner chief Prigozhin expressed disagreement, stating that Putin has made the โwrong choiceโ and that a โnew Presidentโ will soon emerge in Russia. A Telegram group affiliated with Wagner posted that the โCivil war has officially begunโ in Russia following Putinโs classification of Wagner as a criminal enterprise.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ?
The Wagner Group has seized control of the Russian military headquarters in the Rostov region. They have also taken over military facilities in Voronezh, located just 500 kilometres away from Moscow.
When the Wagner fighters entered Rostov, Russian border security guards did not resist. Wagner claims that hundreds of Russian military officials have defected from the Russian military and joined โthe people.โ
Currently, the Wagner military convoy is en route to Moscow, passing through Voronezh. The Russian air force has conducted airstrikes on the Wagner convoy along the strategically important M4 highway.
Videos posted on Telegram by Wagner show at least two military planes, including a fighter jet, being shot down by the group.
A presidential plane has departed from Moscow and is heading towards Saint Petersburg, although Russian officials assert that Putin is still in Moscow.
