In his first public address since the Wagner Group's short-lived rebellion against Russian authority, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group's leader, released an 11-minute audio message. Prigozhin clarified that the march on Moscow was a demonstration against the handling of the war in Ukraine, not an attempt to overthrow the Russian government.
He stated that the trigger for their actions was an attack involving missiles and helicopters, despite Wagner forces showing no aggression. Prigozhin portrayed the march as a demonstration of how the initial invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 should have been conducted. He expressed regret for striking Russian aircraft but asserted it was necessary. He emphasized that the decision to turn back was made to prevent bloodshed among Russian soldiers.
The world was stunned by Prigozhin's actions over the weekend when he turned his private military force against Russian forces, seizing control of military installations and initiating the march toward Moscow. Following negotiations facilitated by Belarus, the warlord ceased his advance on Saturday. An agreement was reached, granting Prigozhin amnesty and relocation to Belarus, along with his soldiers. This mutiny posed the most significant threat to Putin's authority in over two decades.
Prigozhin's statement provided no information about his current location, leaving it unclear whether he has moved to Belarus. He asserted that the primary goal of the march was to prevent the dismantling of the Wagner Group. He had been publicly criticizing Russian military leaders, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, for months, accusing them of inadequately supplying his troops with ammunition during the battle for Bakhmut. The march aimed, in part, to force their removal. Shoigu made his first public appearance since the rebellion on Monday, releasing a video of himself inspecting Russian troops in Ukraine.
Prigozhin's conflict with the top military officials dates back to Russia's military involvement in Syria, intensifying during the recent battle for Bakhmut.
