Prigozhin said in Friday's message that "we are 25,000 strong" and he invited others to join. designated Wagner a transnational criminal organization in January, a month after National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that it had an estimated 50,000 personnel inside Ukraine - around 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts from Russian prisons.
In Ukraine, his forces delivered a badly needed victory for Putin as they were crucial in the campaign to capture Bakhmut, which was left in ruins by months of conflict that saw both sides suffer huge losses. He has fostered a tough image online - appearing with a sledgehammer in one video and, according to Reuters, approving of another that showed an accused deserter being executed with a sledgehammer. The Wagner Group was founded in 2014 by Prigozhin, 61, a close confidant of the Russian president who is known as “Putin’s chef” because his catering business routinely won contracts to cater state events. Calling Prigozhin’s actions “a betrayal of his country and people,” he said, “Everything that weakens Russia should be thrown aside.” What is the Wagner Group? In a later television address, President Vladimir Putin labeled the revolt an “armed mutiny” and vowed to put down the effort. General Vladimir Alekseev told broadcaster RBK it was “a coup d’état.” AFP - Getty Images fileĭescribing it as a stab in the back, Russian Lt.
This video grab taken from a handout footage posted on on the Telegram account of the press-service of Concord - a company linked to the chief of Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin - shows Yevgeny Prigozhin addressing the Russian army's top brass standing in front of Wagner fighters at an undisclosed location.
It also opened a criminal investigation for “organizing an armed rebellion,” the prosecutor general’s office said.įor the latest live coverage, please click here.
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