Russian authorities launch criminal probe into Wagner Group over threats to oust defense minister

[SunSeeker]

Source: AP

Authorities in Russia launched a criminal probe Friday against the owner of the Wagner Group military contractor over his alleged threats to oust Russia’s defense minister.

The announcement follows a statement from owner Yevgeny Prigozhin accusing Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike on Wagner’s field camps in the Ukraine where its soldier are fighting on behalf of Russia against Ukranian forces.

Prigozhin said that his troops would now move to punish Shoigu and urged the army not to offer resistance. Prigozhin declared that “this is not an armed rebellion, but a march of justice.”

The Russian Defense Ministry rejected Prigozhin’s claim and the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, the country’s top counter-terrorism structure, said it opened a criminal inquiry on charges of making calls for a military coup.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-war-russia-nuclear-647a545db4e4628676ff7db5b1bded34?user_email=af4a3b628578e24fe3cc001524281964ec2742242ba6399b7768d46e524c3cce&utm_medium=Afternoon_Wire&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_campaign=AfternoonWire_Jun23_2023&utm_term=Afternoon%20Wire

[Goonch]

1. The founder of the Wagner private mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin

[SunSeeker]

2. Scumbag war criminal, murderer of civilians.

He has so much in common with Putin, you'd think they would get along.

[Brother Buzz]

8. They did, until they didn't

Yevgeny Prigozhin is a thug, just like Putin, but he failed to deliver on the battlefield; his expertise is logistics, not military strategy.

[SunSeeker]

14. His expertise appears to be running his mouth. nt

[Brother Buzz]

15. LOL, that too

As I posted on another thread, I'm with the other short-fingered vulgarian on this weird series of events


"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

[LiberalLovinLug]

17. His field strategy of murder, rape, and torture, and using untrained Russians as cannon fodder

Does work "better". If better means more brute force and intimidation of civilians. He's the most successful commander of the over-all unsuccessful special military operation commanders.

I think Prigozhin is not vying for Putin's job, he's just vying for being promoted to Gerasimov's job of commanding the total armed forces against Ukraine.

[Javaman]

3. ...

[Javaman]

4. while this is a nice side show. I think they buried the lead...

"In other developments in the Ukraine, war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on other countries to heed warnings that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster.

Members of his government briefed international representatives on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, whose six reactors have been shut down for months. Zelenskyy said that he expected other nations to “give appropriate signals and exert pressure” on Moscow."

[SunSeeker]

5. Yes, Zaporizhzhia is a nightmare.

Putin doesn't care if he turns Ukraine into one huge Chernobyl exclusion zone, even if it poisons his own people on the other side of the border.

[sybylla]

6. I have big concerns about the NPP in Zaporizhzhia, too.

You know Putin doesn't care. So we are waiting for the oligarchs to give a damn and figure out how to confine or remove Putin before his ego has him blowing it up and burning down everything he can't have.

Don't the prevailing winds head to China? Either way, why TF aren't they doing more with a country on their border?

[Martin68]

7. Sounds like Yevgeny Prigozhin is actually threatening a coup.

[IronLionZion]

9. Russians in disarray

yes fight amongst yourselves, idiots

[LetMyPeopleVote]

10. What is going on in Russia?

Link to tweet

[SunSeeker]

12. Interesting. nt

[oldsoftie]

11. Wagner has already attacked Russian troops who attacked them. Lets watch!

As long as Russian troops are dropping, its good for UKR

[SunSeeker]

13. Agreed. Slava Ukraini! nt

[LetMyPeopleVote]

16. Wagner mercenary boss faces arrest over 'incitement to armed rebellion'

Link to tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/23/prigozhin-wagner-mercenary-russia-military/

Russia’s Federal Security Service late Friday announced a criminal case against Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin, accusing him of “incitement to armed rebellion” after he declared an open conflict with Russia’s military leadership and called on Russians to join 25,000 Wagner fighters against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top commanders.

Prigozhin — whose private military company helped Russia seize the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Moscow’s only significant territorial gain this year — accused the Russian military Friday of carrying out a strike on a Wagner camp, and appeared to threaten Shoigu, declaring, “This scum will be stopped!”

In a rare late-night statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the situation and that “all necessary measures” were being taken......

The announcement of the criminal case by the Federal Security Service, or FSB, signaled that Prigozhin could face imminent arrest for comments in which he declared that he would lead a “march of justice” against his enemies in Russia’s Ministry of Defense. The Wagner leader denied that he was attempting a military coup.....

The announcement of the criminal case by the Federal Security Service, or FSB, signaled that Prigozhin could face imminent arrest for comments in which he declared that he would lead a “march of justice” against his enemies in Russia’s Ministry of Defense. The Wagner leader denied that he was attempting a military coup.