Two days after leading an unsuccessful rebellion, the leader of the Wagner mercenary force in Russia broke his silence, declaring that he had never planned to overturn the government and offering scant details about his personal destiny or the agreement under which he stepped down.
Wagner leader not aim to overthrow govt: Yevgeny Prigozhin stated that his soldiers had halted their campaign to prevent bloodshed. Since his last appearance on Saturday night, where he was seen laughing and high-fiving bystanders from the back of an SUV as he fled from a city captured by his forces, these remarks represent his first public statements.
In an 11-minute audio recording made available on the Telegram messaging service, Prigozhin stated, “We went as a demonstration of protest, not to overthrow the government of the country.”
“Our march demonstrated many issues we previously discussed, including the significant security issues facing the nation.”
He claimed that his objectives had been to stop the destruction of his Wagner army and to make leaders who had mismanaged Russia’s military operation in Ukraine answerable. He lamented having to shoot down Russian aircraft that had fired on his fighters because they had not engaged in ground warfare in Russia.
We took a break when the first assault force deployed its artillery (close to Moscow), did some reconnaissance, and realised that there would be a lot of bloodshed. He gave no indication of his whereabouts or future goals, and he provided no additional information regarding the enigmatic arrangement that ended his insurrection. He had stated on Saturday that he was departing for Belarus as part of an arrangement mediated by the president of that nation.
NOT FINALISED After inspiring Saturday’s armed uprising, which astonished the entire world, Prigozhin abruptly called it off as his fighters approached the capital after shooting down a number of aircraft but encountering little resistance on the ground during a sprint of nearly 1,000 km (600 miles).
Developments Surrounding Prigozhin’s Criminal Case, Putin’s Remarks, and Kremlin’s Video Release Highlight Unrest in Russia
On Monday, the three major news outlets in Russia announced that Prigozhin’s criminal case was still pending, thereby reversing the public offer of immunity made as part of the agreement that resulted in his resignation.
Putin has not spoken about the uprising since Saturday, when he claimed that it threatened Russia’s fundamental existence and vowed to punish those responsible.
On Monday, the Kremlin published a video of him expressing gratitude to attendees of an industrial meeting. However, the Kremlin omitted mentioning the specific date of recording for the video.
As Putin’s appointed prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin admitted that Russia was facing “a challenge to its stability” and urged support from the populace.
“We need to act together, as one team, and maintain the unity of all forces, rallying around the president,” he said at a live-streamed government meeting.