Key takeaways:
- Tensions between the Russian military and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, have escalated after Prigozhin accused the military of “destroying” his fighters and vowed revenge.
- The threat sparked a crisis in Russia, with the FSB calling for members of the private military contractor to refuse Prigozhin’s orders and detain him, and the prosecutor general’s office opening a criminal investigation for “organizing an armed rebellion”.
- The feud between Prigozhin and the military has been ongoing since the war in Ukraine, and it remains to be seen how the Russian government will respond to Prigozhin’s accusations.
LONDON (Reuters) – Tensions between the Russian military and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, have escalated after Prigozhin accused the military of “destroying” his fighters and vowed revenge.
In a series of audio messages on his official Telegram channel on Friday, Prigozhin said: “Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished.” He did not provide further details of what had occurred.
The threat sparked a crisis in Russia, where the country’s Federal Security Service (FSB) called for members of the private military contractor to refuse Prigozhin’s orders and detain him. The Defence Ministry quickly issued a statement saying Prigozhin’s accusations “are not true and are an informational provocation.”
The prosecutor general’s office also opened a criminal investigation for “organizing an armed rebellion” in response to Prigozhin’s accusations.
The feud between Prigozhin and the military has been ongoing since the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin has accused the military of “evil” and has vowed to take action against them. It is unclear what action he will take in response to the accusations.
The situation is still developing and it remains to be seen how the Russian government will respond to Prigozhin’s accusations.
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