Last Updated on 2023-06-27 , 10:03 am
The Russia-Ukraine war has been raging on for more than a year. While it has slipped the minds of many, here’s an update on the conflict you shouldn’t miss.
The Wagner Group, a private mercenary group from Russia, is rebelling against the Russian military.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Wagner Group Rebellion, simplified for you.
Wagner Group Rebels Against Russian Military Leadership; Takes Control of Russian Cities Rostov & Voronezh
Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the private military group Wagner, shocked the world this week by announcing what is essentially a rebellion against the Russian military.
Huh? Wagner is simi? Can eat one?
For those that aren’t familiar, the Wagner Group is a paramilitary group that has played a massive role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the past year.
In fact, the Wagner chief has been kakis with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, for decades—Prigozhin was responsible for the Russian troll farm that messed with the 2016 US presidential elections.
That’s why news of Prigozhin leading the Wagner Group against the Russian military leadership has surprised many.
Top 10 anime betrayals. Maybe friendship is not always magic.
By right, the Wagner Group is supposed to stay in the Russian-occupied Ukraine. However, with the Wagner chief’s announcement of the group’s rebellion, the paramilitary group seems to have other plans.
In his announcement, Prigozhin pledged to move the Wagner forces into the Russian city of Rostov. Unless the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shougu and Russia’s top general Valery Gerasiomv met with Prigozhin, the Wagner Group also threatened to take the Russian capital, Moscow.
Prigozhin also threatened to “destroy everything” in the Wagner group’s way.
The Wagner group has since taken control of two Russian cities—Rostov and Voronezh, another city north of Rostov. The major Russian highway M-4 has been shut down, and news of a fuel tank at a Voronezh oil refinery has since surfaced.
Regardless, according to Prigozhin, the Wagner forces were welcomed by Russian troops in Rostov, with border guards even coming forward to hug the Wagner mercenaries. Apparently, many Russian soldiers have already “switched teams” and joined the Wagner group.
But why is the Wagner group’s entry into Rostov and Voronezh such a big deal?
Well, it’s a big deal more because of Rostov rather than Voronezh—Rostov is the centre of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine. Since the now-anti-Russia Wagner group has taken over Rostov-on-Don, this could potentially end the Russia-Ukraine war.
From the Titanic submarine to the Wagner group rebellion, the June bingo card is turning out crazy.
Why the Wagner Group is Rebelling Against the Russian Military Leadership
We know that the Wagner group is now going against the Russian military leadership, but why the sudden rebellion?
There are a few reasons why the Wagner Group Rebellion is happening—the feud between Prigozhin and the Russian military leadership has been ongoing for a while.
The Wagner chief has consistently accused the Russian military leadership of failing to give the Wagner forces sufficient ammunition, causing extensive casualties among the Wagner forces.
On Friday (23 June), Prigozhin went one step further by confirming what many have suspected for a long time—he shared during an interview that Russia had invaded Ukraine under false pretences.
He added that contrary to Russia’s claims of glory in the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia was losing ground in the conflict.
Someone needs to POFMA Russia.
However, the rebellion was sparked mainly because of an alleged strike by Russian forces on a Wagner military camp. According to Prigozhin, the strike had killed many of the Wagner fighters.
Of course, the Russian Ministry of Defence has since denied the Wagner chief’s allegations. But that’s not all the Russian leadership has to say about the Wagner group’s rebellion.
Russia Responds to the Wagner Group Rebellion; Labels the Rebellion a “Path of Treason”
Russia has since responded to the Wagner Group Rebellion, with Putin calling the rebellion a “path of treason” which the Wagner forces are punishable for.
Russian authorities have taken several actions in attempts to put a stop to the Wagner Group Rebellion.
First, the Russian Ministry of Defence has urged Wagner forces to return to their “points of permanent deployment” in Ukraine. Going one step further, the Russian domestic intelligence service, the Federal Security Service (FSB), has urged the Wagner forces to detain Prigozhin.
That’s not all. The Russian authorities have also opened a criminal case against Prigozhin for “calling for an armed rebellion”.
There’s no “Get Out of Jail Free” card for this one.
A counter-terrorist operation has also been introduced in the Moscow and Voronezh regions to strengthen security in the Russian cities.
Road usage is now restricted, and telephone conversations are monitored, among other counter-terrorism measures.
The Russian response doesn’t end here. Prigozhin has also claimed that Russia has sent helicopters to attack Wagner units and civilians.
It’s clear that Russia is going all out to try and stop Prigozhin and the Wagner group.
However, as you’d expect, most of these efforts are in vain—even the alleged helicopter attacks, which the Wagner group claims to have downed.
Prigozhin also shows no signs of stopping despite the Russian leadership clamping down on him and his fighters. He has since announced his refusal to surrender to the Russian leadership.
“No one is going to turn around at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else, because we do not want the country to live longer in corruption, deception and bureaucracy,” Prigozhin said.
While not many international leaders have publicly remarked about the rebellion yet, you can bet your bottom dollar that all eyes are now on Russia.
Specifically, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and European Council President Charles Michel have shared that they will monitor the situation in Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also posted a long paragraph on Twitter responding to these developments in Russia, essentially saying, “You get what you deserve”.
Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. Who sends columns of troops to destroy the lives of another country and cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying when life resists. Who terrorizes with missiles, and when they are shot down, humiliates himself to receive…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 24, 2023
For now, the rest of the world will watch as the Wagner Group Rebellion unfolds.
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