Topline
Russia’s Federal Security Service announced a criminal case Friday against Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary organization known as the Wagner Group, claiming he incited “armed rebellion” after he claimed Russia’s military killed a “huge” number of Wagner paramilitaries in an attack on a Wagner Group camp, as tensions reach a fever pitch between the paramilitary group and Moscow.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, claimed Russia fired an aerial attack on a Wagner … [+]
Key Facts
Russia’s Federal Security Service announced the proceedings in a message on Telegram, alleging he incited an armed rebellion—a crime punishable by a 12 to 20 year sentence.
The Wagner Group, which has supplied weapons and military support to Russia’s military, claimed in a statement on Telegram that one of its camps suffered an aerial missile attack “from the rear,” meaning it was allegedly launched by Russia’s military.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense denied the attack in a post on the ministry’s Telegram channel, saying the claim does “not correspond to reality” and amounts to an “informational provocation.”
Prigozhin claimed Russia “sneakily deceived us” as the Wagner Group—which had criticized Russia’s military for allegedly abandoning its front line and said last month it would withdraw some of its troops—planned to “hand over our weapons and find a solution,” adding: “these scumbags did not calm down,” according to a CNN translation.
Prigozhin said the Wagner Group is deciding how to respond, threatening: “the next step is ours.”
He did not say where the alleged attack happened or suggest a specific motive.
Surprising Fact
Tensions between the Wagner Group and the Kremlin have escalated throughout Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, with the mercenary group claiming earlier this month that Russian soldiers shot Wagner paramilitaries in the war-torn town of Bakhmut, while Wagner claimed to detain the commander of a Russian brigade. Wagner’s claim came one month after Prigozhin accused Moscow of failing to support its frontline troops and said his forces would leave Bakhmut, citing a shortage of ammunition. Earlier this week, Prigozhin also slammed Russian military leaders for allegedly lying to the public about Russia’s justification for invading Ukraine last February, calling its claim that Ukraine and NATO posed a threat to Russian security a lie.
Key Background
The Treasury Department in January accused the Wagner Group of supplying weapons to Moscow to support its invasion of Ukraine—the latest accusation regarding the group, which according to U.S. officials had roughly 50,000 troops deployed in Ukraine earlier this year, composed mostly of Russian convicts and contracted recruits. White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby announced in January the Treasury Department was designating the Wagner Group as a “transnational criminal organization,” while the Department of Commerce labeled the group a “military end user,” preventing it from accessing any equipment “based on U.S. technology.” The Wagner Group has also been tied to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its air campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad—who had been accused of chemical warfare on civilians—during the Syrian Civil War.
Further Reading
U.S. Designates Mercenary Wagner Group—Accused Of Funneling North Korean Weapons To Russia—A ‘Transnational Criminal Organization’ (Forbes)
Wagner Group Boss Says He’ll Pull Russian Troops From Key City Of Bakhmut—As He Criticizes ‘Fat Cat’ Moscow Leaders (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/06/23/russia-launches-criminal-case-against-wagner-group-chief-over-incitement-to-armed-rebellion/