What to know about the armed ‘Coup’ against Russian military as close Putin confidant mounts rebellion.
February 2023 marked the year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a situation that came after months of tensions and quickly unraveled, leading to countless deaths and the displacement of millions.
More than Twelve months later, the invasion remains ongoing, with the United Nations Refugee Agency estimating that more than 8 million refugees are believed to have fled Ukraine since the start of the war.
And this time around, per BBC, there seems to be a coup in Russia as a mercenary army is currently at odds with the country’s military.
Image Source: REUTERS
What is happening in Russia right now – is there a coup?
After Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary group in Russia, accused Russia’s military of attacking a Wagner camp and vowed to retaliate, tensions have risen in the country.
The conflict between the group and Russia took off in recent weeks when Prigozhin, 62, accused the Russian military of being incompetent in regard to the invasion of Ukraine, and later accused the Russian military Friday of a missile attack at his camp that he claimed killed 2,000 fighters, per NBC News.
“Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance,” Prigozhin said on his Telegram channel, per the outlet.
“The war was needed for a bunch of scumbags to triumph and show how strong of an army they are,” Prigozhin also claimed on Friday, according to Politico. He also speculated that Russia’s defense minister wanted a promotion.
Russia has since denied Priozhin’s accusations.
Prigozhin and Vladimir Putin are connected, as the Wagner leader used to serve the president’s state dinners and earned the title of “Putin’s chef,” per Politico.
Russian Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev has called Prigozhin’s orders a “coup d’état,” as Putin has accused him of attempting to lead an “armed mutiny” and “a betrayal of his country and people,” according to NBC News.
As CNN reported, Prigozhin vowed to retaliate on Friday with “force,” ultimately claiming he would “destroy” any resistance.
“There are 25,000 of us, and we are going to find out why there is such chaos in the country,” he added, later claiming that it was a “march of justice,” rather than a coup.
Prigozhin has since said Wagner fighters have entered Russia’s Rostov region, the location of the country’s southern military command, threatening to blockade the city of Rostov-on-Don, unless he could meet with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, CNN said.
Putin, 70, in an address, later labeled Prigozhin’s actions as “treason” and that the threat should expect a “severe response” from the country. In response, on Telegram, Prigozhin called his fighters “patriots of our Motherland” and claimed they would not be turning themselves in.
Russia’s Federal Security Service eventually launched a criminal case against Prighozhin and called for his fighters to detain him.
“Prigozhin’s statements and actions are in fact calls for the start of an armed civil conflict on the territory of the Russian Federation and are a stab in the back of Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces,” the FSB statement read, per CNN.
The Wagner Group has worked alongside the Russian military amid the invasion of Ukraine, Politico reported, with tens of thousands of fighters in its control. Prigozhin has claimed that his forces have been leading the fight in Ukraine and also questioned Russia’s competency amid it, the outlet noted.