President Biden and U.S. Allies Unite to Deny Involvement in Russian Uprising Led by Wagner Group

President Biden spoke with U.S. allies over the weekend to coordinate a response to the brief uprising in Russia led by the Wagner mercenary group. On Monday, the President made clear that the U.S. and its allies were not involved in the incident.

The Wagner fighters had seized control of the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, which oversees fighting in Ukraine. They were advancing toward Moscow until they were ordered back to their field camps when a truce brokered by Belarus was announced between Putin and Prigozhin.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner group’s leader, had accused the Russian military of botching the war in Ukraine and criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a message released today, Prigozhin continued to make the case for his one day mutiny and suggested that the invasion of Ukraine could have been handled better.

Despite the attempted uprising, Prigozhin has not yet been seen to retreat into obscurity. It remains to be seen what the consequences of the incident will be for the Wagner group and its leader. President Biden and U.S. allies have made clear that they were not involved in the incident.