Putin described Wagner mutiny as 'betrayal' and vows Russia will defend itself

Alia Shoaib
·2 min read
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Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023.
Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023.Reuters

  • Wagner Group fighters entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in an apparent armed rebellion.

  • Putin vowed to punish mutineers and called the actions a "betrayal."

  • This is the latest dramatic escalation in Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's ongoing feud with Russian leaders.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the actions of mutinying Wagner fighters as a "betrayal" and "a stab in the back" in a video address on Saturday morning.

Without naming his former ally Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian president said those behind the recent events were guilty of "high treason" and betraying Russia out of "personal ambition."

He added that Russia would defend itself and mutineers would be punished.

He said such actions were "a stab in the back for our troops and the people of Russia," per a translation by The Telegraph.

"Those who mutiny have betrayed Russia and I urge anybody involved in it to cease any kind of participation in armed conflict."

Vladimir Putin (left) and Yevgeny Prigozhin (right).
Vladimir Putin (left) has long relied on Yevgeny Prigozhin (right) for his Wagner Group of mercenaries to fight in the invasion of Ukraine.Getty Images

Fighters from the mercenary group marched into the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don from Ukraine on Saturday and Prigozhin claimed his fighters had taken control of all military installations.

In his speech, Putin noted that the situation in Rostov is "very complicated," amid reports that security has been heightened in the city and also in Moscow.

Prigozhin has said that the actions of his fighters are not a mutiny but a "march for justice."

The move is an alarming escalation in the fiery Wagner chief's ongoing feud with Russia's military leadership over his criticisms of them for failures in Ukraine and allegations that his mercenary fighters were deprived of needed military resources.

On Friday, he slammed Russia's "evil" defense ministry in a series of social media posts and accused them of orchestrating a missile strike that killed a number of his fighters.

He said that in response 25,000 of his fighters were prepared to take on those in Russia leading the war effort.

According to an intelligence update from the UK Department of Defense on Saturday, further Wagner units appear to be moving north, "almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow."

Read the original article on Business Insider

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