Yevgeny Prigozhin’s coup
Russia’s armed forces scramble at home to confront an armed insurrection by the nation’s most outspoken mercenary figure
- Late on Friday, June 23, 2023, Wagner Group mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin released a video on Telegram purportedly showing the aftermath of a Russian Defense Ministry missile attack against his fighters at a “rear base.”
- In a series of audio clips, Prigozhin subsequently announced that he would lead an armed campaign to “punish” the Defense Ministry officials supposedly responsible for the attack.
- Prigozhin insists that he is waging a “march of justice,” not a coup, but the FSB soon announced a criminal case to investigate his “incitement to armed insurrection.”
- Wagner forces seized control of a key military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and Prigozhin published a video where he humiliates Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov.
- President Vladimir Putin then made a national address denouncing what he called a “stab in the back.”
- In response, Prigozhin called Putin “deeply mistaken,” slamming Russia’s corruption and saying his Wagner fighters are the true “patriots.”
- Just after 8:30 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday, Prigozhin abruptly announced that Wagner forces would stand down and retreat to their field camps “according to the plan.” This came shortly after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed to have mediated an agreement with Prigozhin to halt Wagner’s advance and take “further steps to de-escalate tensions.”
23 июня 2023 г. 23:25:50
Late in the evening on June 23, Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that the Russian army had carried out a strike on a Wagner mercenary camp, which resulted in a “huge number” of casualties. The Defense Ministry called his words an “informational provocation.” Prigozhin added that the mercenaries have every intention of taking revenge and “restoring justice in Russia.”
23 июня 2023 г. 23:26:44
Russia’s National Antiterrorism Committee announced that the Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened a criminal case against Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin for calling for an armed rebellion.
23 июня 2023 г. 23:28:34
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the president is “aware of the situation” and that “all of the necessary measures are being taken.”
23 июня 2023 г. 23:31:33
Prigozhin’s original statement was as follows:
We are 25,000 strong and we’re going to sort out why this free-for-all is taking place in the country. The tactical reserve is 25,000, and the strategic reserve is the entirety of the army and the whole country. <…> Everyone who wants to, go ahead and join us. It’s time to put an end to this mess. <…> Anyone who tries to resist — we will consider this a threat and eliminate them immediately, as well as any obstacles in our way. I’m asking everyone to stay calm, not respond to provocations, and remain inside your homes. It’s best not to come out into the street along the route we’re following.
23 июня 2023 г. 23:32:29
Wagner Group leader did not specify the route his formations were going to travel.
23 июня 2023 г. 23:38:00
The stock prices of Russian companies on the Moscow Stock Exchange plummeted shortly after Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to call for a military coup.
23 июня 2023 г. 23:39:05
Sources close to the Kremlin appear to have been taken by surprise. “Clearly, he didn’t coordinate any of this with the president’s administration,” says one insider familiar with the situation in the President’s Office. “The president trusts the military leadership at the moment. The Ukrainian counteroffensive proved not to be such a great threat. In any case, this is the way it comes across. Whether Prigozhin coordinated any surprise steps with the law enforcement or security structures, or with Putin personally, I don’t know,” says the same speaker.
23 июня 2023 г. 23:42:03
Another Kremlin source suggests that Prigozhin might be “bluffing,” and that his threats will not lead to any real steps. “He’s blown his roof to make such claims, while a system-minded person would not even think such things,” says the insider.
23 июня 2023 г. 23:44:43
“If [Prigozhin] isn’t bluffing,” adds the same Kremlin insider, “the state security service will have to sort this out.”
23 июня 2023 г. 23:47:01
A source in the pro-Kremlin news media says that his publication has received instructions only to publish information based on the Defense Ministry’s official position. Another source in a state-run news outlet confirms having received similar instructions.
23 июня 2023 г. 23:52:03
Here’s a timeline of all the social media posts Yevgeny Prigozhin has made tonight attacking Russia’s Defense Ministry and announcing his “justice march.”
23 июня 2023 г. 23:54:46
A Rostov-on-Don-based local news outlet has published photos of armored vehicles in the city’s streets.
Citing its own sources, the outlet reported that local police have activated “Plan Fortress” in case Prigozhin leads an assault on the city. “There are orders to bring the entire Interior Ministry and National Guard to combat readiness, and to reinforce the posts on the border with the LNR and DNR,” said one source.
Earlier this evening, Prigozhin said Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu “went to Rostov specially to conduct an operation to destroy Wagner Group,” though he reported soon after that Shoigu had “fled Rostov like a coward.”
24 июня 2023 г. 00:01:51
Reports are emerging that Wagner Group’s Petersburg offices have been raided.
24 июня 2023 г. 00:04:47
24 июня 2023 г. 00:08:58
The Russian state TV network Rossiya-24 reportedly interrupted its regular programming with a readout of the Defense Ministry’s official statement regarding Prigozhin’s claims.
24 июня 2023 г. 00:12:41
Russia’s Prosecutor General says that Prigozhin’s “actions will be given proper legal assessment” and called the FSB’s criminal case against him “legal and well-founded.”
24 июня 2023 г. 00:14:13
Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s press service just published a video address from Vladimir Putin wishing the Russian youth a happy Youth Day.
24 июня 2023 г. 00:27:51
Military vehicles were reportedly spotted passing by the Russian State Duma building.
24 июня 2023 г. 00:31:19
Journalists with publication Zerkalo reached the local police department in Rostov-on-Don. Asked whether the situation there could get worse overnight, the dispatcher said “We’re scared ourselves. I don’t know. No one is telling anyone anything. Everything is unclear.” The dispatcher added “I’m afraid there’s no one [to call for more information]. Watch the news and listen to what they say.”
24 июня 2023 г. 00:32:05
Political commentator Maxim Trudolyubov responds to the news of Prigozhin’s insurrection:
The fog of war is now made larger by the fog of civil war, albeit only virtual for the moment. Those marching on Moscow (the way the Blackshirts advanced towards Rome 100 years ago) are yet to be seen by anyone. But the message is clear, and it’s “a stab in the back.” <…> This paved-over political field can only sprout national resentment, calls to vengeance, and the kind of leader who is prepared to merge with the people. Populism, nationalism, and authoritarianism are the ingredients of any radical-right movement. <…> It might all be just a simulation, or a publicity stunt for removing [Defense Minister Sergey] Shoigu. But the genie of right radicalism <…> is out of the bottle. We’ll see how far this time-tested idea will get in infecting Russians.
24 июня 2023 г. 00:35:46
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) called on Russians to “not make irreversible mistakes,” to “cease any acts of force against the Russian people,” and to “not carry out the criminal and traitorous orders of Prigozhin” but to “take measures to detain him,” state media reported.
24 июня 2023 г. 00:43:08
Another video from the Russian capital. “Good evening from Moscow,” says the voice behind the camera.
24 июня 2023 г. 00:43:25
DOXA has posted a reader-submitted photo of armored fighting vehicles on Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street in central Moscow.
24 июня 2023 г. 00:47:25
Without naming its source, Fontanka reports that Prigozhin was in St. Petersburg around 6p.m.–7 p.m. on Friday night.
24 июня 2023 г. 00:49:31
General Sergey Surovikin, sitting with an automatic rifle on his knee, recorded an appeal to Wagner fighters, asking them not to take part in the rebellion announced by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.
“I urge you to stop. The enemy is waiting precisely for the political situation in our country to worsen. Before it’s too late, you need to obey the will and the orders of the popularly elected President of the Russian Federation. Stop the columns, return to your places of permanent deployment,” he pleaded.
24 июня 2023 г. 01:00:04
Russian National Guard Special Rapid Response Units and riot police (OMON) have been put on alert in Moscow, the state news agency TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source.
24 июня 2023 г. 01:06:59
The military blogger Igor Strelkov responded to General Sergey Surovikin’s appeal to Wagner fighters: “The generals’ speeches and urgings to ‘stop’ have eliminated any remaining doubt that Prigozhin’s insurgence (and I didn’t write ‘Wagner’s’) is real. It shows the degree of panic — and the utter helplessness.”
24 июня 2023 г. 01:07:06
Military vehicles heading in the direction of the Kremlin on Moscow’s Kotelnicheskaya Embankment
24 июня 2023 г. 01:08:04
The FSB joined those in the Russian authorities calling on Wagner fighters to not participate in Prigozhin’s “justice march,” reports Interfax. “We call on fighters not to make an irreparable mistake, to stop using any force against the Russian people, to not carry out Prigozhin’s criminal and treacherous orders, and to take steps to detain him,” said the agency’s announcement.
24 июня 2023 г. 01:10:56
The Russian state news network Channel One will air a “special newscast” in a few minutes, according to its news ticker.
24 июня 2023 г. 01:15:08
Russian Internet service providers appear to have started blocking access to Google News, according to the independent outlet iStories. GlobalCheck.net indicates that only about a quarter of users have access to the resource.
24 июня 2023 г. 01:22:23
The road into Rostov-on-Don from the western side has been blocked off, according to local media.
24 июня 2023 г. 01:24:04
Russia’s Defense Ministry reports that, “taking advantage of Prigozhin’s provocation,” the Ukrainian army command is concentrating its 35th brigade of the marines and 36th motorized infantry brigade on starting positions, preparing to launch an offensive on the Bakhmut tactical direction.
24 июня 2023 г. 01:42:30
The special Channel 1 report on the situation amounted to an announcement that Pirgozhin’s footage of an alleged Russian Defense Ministry strike on Wagner camps was fake, and that Prigozhin’s remarks were prepared in advance. The report did mention the new criminal case against Prigozhin.
24 июня 2023 г. 01:43:52
A commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (a paramilitary formation fighting on the side of Ukraine) has taken a stance on Yevgeny Prigozhin’s insurrection, calling him a “patriot” and urging his peers to “get ready.” “Over the past year,” he said,
Evgeny Prigozhin has turned from a somber “Putin’s chef” into a freestanding political figure. <…> Tensions in the upper echelons of Russian power grew; the sanctions and the military’s failures at the front accelerated the processes of “rot and decomposition.” And here we have the result: an ambitious, angry, popular (among the people as well as the military) patriot who owns a private army; a population demoralized by drawn-out and bloody war; and an incoherent power system. Let’s get ready!
24 июня 2023 г. 01:55:03
Eight military trucks passing the Defense Ministry building in Moscow.
24 июня 2023 г. 02:31:35
Prigozhin has announced that Wagner Group units are “entering Rostov-on-Don.” This information is currently unconfirmed.
“We’re entering Rostov now. Defense Ministry detachments, or, more likely, conscripts, which were dumped there to block our path have stepped aside. We’re not killing children, the children are being killed by [Defense Minister Sergey] Shoigu, who throws untrained soldiers, including conscripts, into war. We fight only with professionals,” said Prigozhin.
Prigozhin also said, however, that “if anyone stands in our way, we’ll totally destroy them.”
24 июня 2023 г. 02:55:26
The video footage posted by Prigozhin earlier on June 23 that reportedly shows the aftermath of a Russian rocket strike on a Wagner rear camp is almost certainly staged. Here’s why:
- Whoever is filming doesn’t run away from the explosion, as you would expect if they feared more artillery or rocket strikes, but moves toward it.
- The people speaking off camera, before they could have gotten any real details about the incident, come to the conclusion that the Ukrainian military “can’t get at us” and that only their own “allies” could have carried out the strike.
- There’s no visible crater in any of the posted footage, or any dirt that a normal explosion would gave scattered. The surrounding vegetation and trees appear essentially unharmed, which rules out a rocket that exploded in the air. Most likely, the explosion was caused by a hand grenade going off under a tent or in one of the camp’s numerous structures.
- One part of the footage shows two fires burning in a dugout, but the fresh cover of leaves in the dugout is undamaged, and there are no visible artillery casings around.
- Prigozhin reported that the strike left a large number of victims, but the footage doesn’t show any of them. One clip shows part of a human body, but the color of the dried blood on it suggests that the person died much earlier than when the alleged strike took place.
24 июня 2023 г. 03:02:29
Russian social networking site VKontakte has reportedly blocked Prigozhin’s posts.
24 июня 2023 г. 03:13:06
Mikhail Razvozhayev, governor of Russian-annexed Sevastopol, says it’s too early to draw any conclusions about Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin’s attempted “mutiny.”
Any conflict is bad. A conflict on this level is bad in the extreme. None of us has all the information we need to draw conclusions.
Razvozhayev also expressed the opinion that now is the time for all Russian to “believe in their country and president.”
24 июня 2023 г. 04:11:08
Footage reportedly showing shooting in the Rostov region has appeared on social media. The authenticity of this footage has not been confirmed.
24 июня 2023 г. 04:35:57
Updates from the Rostov region
- The regional department of Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry (MChS) has denied reports circulating on Telegram about the Rostov region allegedly declaring a curfew.
- However, Governor Vasily Golubev has asked residents to remain in their homes:
“The current situation demands maximum concentration of all forces to maintain order. Law enforcement agencies are doing everything necessary to ensure the safety of the region’s residents. I ask everyone to remain calm and not leave home unless necessary,” Golubev wrote on Telegram.
24 июня 2023 г. 04:38:50
Meanwhile, in yet another audio message, Prigozhin claims — without presenting any evidence — that Wagner forces allegedly shot down a helicopter that “opened fire on a civilian convoy.”
24 июня 2023 г. 04:48:47
The Telegram channel Lentach has published two videos from its readers that purportedly show “a small part” of the Wagner Group’s alleged convoy spotted near Novoshakhtinsk, a town located about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Rostov-on-Don. The authenticity of this footage has not been confirmed.
24 июня 2023 г. 05:14:46
It’s roughly 45 minutes after sunrise in Rostov-on-Don and videos are circulating on Telegram that appear to show tanks and military vehicles surrounding the Southern Military District’s headquarters. Another video shows a column of armed men near the building. This footage has not been verified.
24 июня 2023 г. 05:27:06
According to the Voronezh regional government, a column of military vehicles is moving along the M-4 “Don” federal highway.
“We ask all residents of the Voronezh region to temporarily not use the M-4 Don federal highway and individual vehicles. The situation is under control. The region’s security agencies are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the region’s inhabitants,” the government said in a statement.
24 июня 2023 г. 05:35:05
Another video that appears to show armed men encircling the Southern Military District’s headquarters in Rostov-on-Don. The authenticity of this footage has not been confirmed.
According to the local news site 161.ru, men in camouflage uniforms have cordoned off the following government buildings in Rostov-on-Don:
- The Southern Military District headquarters
- The police department on Budyonnovsky Prospekt in the city center
- The regional branch of the Interior Ministry
- The regional branch of the FSB
- The Rostov Administration building
24 июня 2023 г. 05:54:39
Gunfire has been reported near a highway in the Voronezh region. The footage below has not been verified.
24 июня 2023 г. 06:02:22
Russian state news agency TASS has updated its open photo bank with pictures of the armed men and military vehicles that have surrounded the Southern Military District’s headquarters in Rostov-on-Don.
The captions accompanying the photos identify the men as Wagner Group fighters. This has not been independently verified.
24 июня 2023 г. 06:16:51
Moscow Mayor announces anti-terrorism measures
“In connection with incoming information, anti-terrorism activities are being carried out in Moscow aimed at strengthening security measures. Additional traffic control has been introduced. Restrictions on holding public events are possible. I ask you to treat the measures taken with understanding,” Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a statement.
24 июня 2023 г. 06:42:02
Writing on Twitter, Conflict Intelligence Team founder Ruslan Leviev argues that the armed men seen in recent photos and videos from Rostov-on-Don are Russian servicemen — not Wagner Group mercenaries.
“They are ‘surrounding their own,’ but taking up positions around the building in order to defend it. Moreover, the enemy may already be nearby, so you need to control your surroundings, the roofs of houses, [and] windows.”
24 июня 2023 г. 07:11:03
The city of Rostov has likely been captured by Wagner detachments, which reportedly occupied the center of the city without a fight. A video circulating on Telegram shows a woman who says she asked one of the armed people in the city center if he was with Wagner and that he confirmed by nodding his head. Russian state media have not yet reported the columns of tanks and armed men in downtown Rostov.
24 июня 2023 г. 07:21:02
Rostov has temporarily changed its urban transport patterns, the city’s mayor reports. He blames “the current situation” without specifying what that situation is.
24 июня 2023 г. 07:32:51
The view from Budennovsky Prospect in Rostov-on-Don, where Russia’s Southern Military Command is headquartered.
24 июня 2023 г. 08:03:51
Prigozhin met in Rostov-on-Don with Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and Deputy Chief of Staff Vladimir Alexeyev.
In the conversation, a video of which is circulating on social media, Prigozhin says that Wagner fighters will “block the city of Rostov” and “go to Moscow” until Wagner Group “gets” Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu.
24 июня 2023 г. 08:24:43
In a video reportedly shot at the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov, Prigozhin says “Rostov’s military facilities, including the airfield, are under control.”
He added that Wagner Group’s actions in Rostov have no impact on the state of the Russia-Ukraine war, warning viewers not to believe the Russian authorities if they suggest that something went wrong at the front because of Wagner Group. “That’s not why something fell apart at the front,” he said.
24 июня 2023 г. 08:32:07
Who hasn’t commented on Prigozhin’s coup:
- Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia
- Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the State Duma
- Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council
- Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister
- State-run media outlets
24 июня 2023 г. 08:43:03
Voronezh governor Alexander Gusev has announced that all public events have been canceled.
“The situation is stable. All support services are operating normally. I ask all residents and visitors to the region to maintain restraint and calm,” he wrote on Telegram.
24 июня 2023 г. 08:49:56
Putin will make a speech shortly, reports TASS citing presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
24 июня 2023 г. 08:57:04
The Telegram channel Tyutina has posted a video of Wagner fighters greeting the law-enforcement officers guarding the city administration building in Rostov-on-Don.
24 июня 2023 г. 08:58:21
All public events have been canceled in Russia’s Lipetsk region.
24 июня 2023 г. 09:03:34
To prevent possible acts of terrorism in Moscow and the surrounding region, a counter-terrorism protocol is being implemented by the authorities.
24 июня 2023 г. 09:08:27
A “counterterrorism operation regime” has also been imposed in the Voronezh region, according to the Russian authorities.
24 июня 2023 г. 09:11:52
Russia’s Defense Ministry has published an appeal to Wagner mercenaries on its Telegram channel. Here’s what it says:
- You’ve been deceitfully drawn into Prigozhin’s criminal venture and taking part in an armed insurrection.
- Many of your comrades have already realized their mistake, turning for help with returning safely to their permanent places of deployment.
- We will help any fighters and commanders who appeal to us.
- We ask everyone to be reasonable and get in touch with the Defense Ministry and members of the law enforcement.
- We guarantee your safety.
24 июня 2023 г. 09:17:32
A tank got stuck in a circus gate in Rostov-on-Don.
24 июня 2023 г. 09:24:46
Baza reports that the tank wasn’t “stuck,” but was deliberately “blocking one of the facades of the Southern Military District headquarters,” where Prigozhin met with Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov.
24 июня 2023 г. 09:30:49
Military vehicles have blocked a highway in the Rostov region. The exact location has not been specified.
24 июня 2023 г. 09:35:13
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed that counterterrorism protocols are being effected in Moscow and the surrounding region. Sobyanin thanked residents and visitors for their “understanding” and for keeping “a calm attitude to what’s happening.”
24 июня 2023 г. 09:46:49
The counter-terrorism measures being implemented in Moscow give the authorities many additional powers. Here’s what they can do:
- Stop civilians in the streets and require them to present an ID, detaining them if they don’t have an ID with them
- Forcibly remove people and vehicles from a location
- Tap into phone conversations and read private messages without a court order
- Use any available vehicle for first aid and for pursuing a suspect
- Temporarily shut down industrial facilities producing explosives, chemicals, or radioactive materials
- Shut down communications, including phone service and the Internet
- Limit the public’s access to the roads
- Limit the sales of alcohol
- Members of the law enforcement gain a right to enter any space, public or private, without a prior court order
24 июня 2023 г. 09:57:51
Wagner fighters have downed three Russian helicopters. According to Fighterbomber, a Telegram channel reportedly run by a member of the Russian Aerospace Forces, two Mi-8MTPR helicopters and one Mi-35 have been shot down. Their crews are alive. “Because the Wagner motorcade is moving along the M4 highway together with civilian traffic, helicopters cannot be used. The road has now been closed,” writes the source.
24 июня 2023 г. 10:00:30
Wagner Group has captured military facilities in Voronezh, Reuters reports, citing a source from Russian intelligence.
24 июня 2023 г. 10:01:30
Putin is speaking.
24 июня 2023 г. 10:08:06
Putin says the events of the last day amount to “treason and betrayal against the country and the Russian people,” but that Russia will defend itself.
24 июня 2023 г. 10:09:23
Putin: “Those who organized and prepared an armed revolt, who raised arms on his armed comrades, betrayed Russia. And they will answer for it.”
24 июня 2023 г. 10:10:57
Putin: “Everyone who embarked on the path of betrayal, who planned an armed rebellion and resorted to terrorist methods, will face inevitable punishment. They will be held accountable both before the law and before our people.”
24 июня 2023 г. 10:12:20
Putin: “The work of civil and military administration bodies in the Rostov region has effectively been blocked.”
24 июня 2023 г. 10:56:22
All public events planned for the weekend in Russia’s Tula region have been canceled.
24 июня 2023 г. 10:57:29
In his five-minute emergency address, Putin was careful not to mention Yevgeny Prigozhin. Not even once.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:04:28
The city-wide school graduation party in Moscow’s Gorky Park and other graduation activities have been postponed by a week.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:09:15
Public events have so far been canceled in the following regions of Russia:
- Voronezh
- Lipetsk
- Tula
- Tver
- Kaliningrad
Moscow and Rostov-on-Don have also announced cancellations.
In St. Petersburg, the authorities are saying that the situation in the city is “calm and controllable.” The city doesn’t plan on canceling the Crimson Sails celebration for this year’s graduates.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:14:11
A Wagner Group recruitment center in Vladimir is being raided by the law enforcement.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:20:39
British Defense Intelligence believes that Wagner fighters are “almost certainly” intent on advancing towards Moscow. Given almost no evidence of confrontation between the security forces and the mercenary group, it appears that state security services are “acquiescing to Wagner.”
“Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia’s security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out,” the agency expects.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:26:58
Putin has reportedly telephoned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and “informed” him about the situation in Russia.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:30:35
An hour or so ago, Vladimir Putin addressed the nation and condemned the “betrayal” of the armed insurrection. Read the full transcript in English here:
24 июня 2023 г. 11:34:42
Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin has released a statement on Wagner Group’s armed insurrection. Here’s what he said, on Telegram:
Russia’s history makes clear: external threats and challenges have only united our society in the past. Together we can overcome any difficulty.
Our country’s problems and sorrows have always come from betrayal, internal division, and the treachery of the elites.
The deputies of the State Duma, who represent the interests of Russian citizens, support the consolidation of powers and President Vladimir Putin as our Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
Wagner fighters must make the only possible right choice: they must stand with their own people, on the side of the law, defending the security of their Motherland and its future, and following the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Anything else is treachery!
We are confronting a common external adversary, who is advancing the ideology of Nazism to destroy the Russian citizens, threatening the security of our country. In this situation, it’s necessary to unite even more, and to do all we can for victory.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:42:40
The heads of Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions announced an increase in security measures. “Now more than ever, we need to unite around our national leader — Supreme Commander Vladimir Putin,” said Kursk Governor Roman Starovoit.
Other regional heads have expressed support for the president too: Lipetsk Governor Igor Artamonov announced that “The Lipetsk region stands with the president!” while North Ossetia Governor Sergey Menyailo wrote, “I call on all my countrymen serving in Wagner Group not to obey the criminal commands of Prigozhin!
24 июня 2023 г. 11:42:54
Wagner Group’s banners and recruitment advertisements are being hastily dismantled and removed from view in Vladimir, Moscow, and Crimea.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:46:52
An armored motorcade is moving along Moscow’s Ring Road.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:47:48
“We’ll remain here until we have them, we’ll blockade the city of Rostov and go to Moscow.”
Read the transcript of the conversation between Prigozhin, Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, and Deputy Chief of Staff Vladimir Alexeyev, in which the Wagner Group founder said he intends to “get” General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov and Defense Ministry Sergey Shoigu.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:51:35
In Rostov-on-Don, locals debated whether to side with the authorities or with the armed insurgents led by Yevgeny Prigozhin. The crowd was dispelled.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:55:08
The governor of Voronezh has announced “necessary operational and combat measures” in the region by Russia’s armed forces.
24 июня 2023 г. 11:58:08
Ramzan Kadyrov called Yevgeny Prigozhin a “despicable traitor.”
24 июня 2023 г. 11:58:12
Exiled former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky released a statement on Prigozhin’s rebellion, calling on Russians to “help even the devil, if he’s decided to opposite this regime.” “The Prigozhin riot, despite its halfwayness and lack of preparation, is the strongest blow to Putin’s reputation,” he said.
24 июня 2023 г. 12:04:27
Dozens of soldiers have reportedly arrived near a bridge across the Oka river near Serpukhov, a city in the Moscow region. Regional authorities announced earlier that the M2 highway has been closed in the area, though they didn’t give a reason.
24 июня 2023 г. 12:21:53
Russian banks have abruptly raised foreign currency exchange rates. Many of them are trading U.S. dollars at more than 90 rubles, and euros at more than 100. RIA Novosti reports the highest U.S. dollar conversion rate of 105 rubles at Rosbank, which also trades euros as 115 rubles.
24 июня 2023 г. 12:29:13
Prigozhin responds to Putin’s address
In his first statement in over four hours, Yevgeny Prigozhin said that Vladimir Putin was “deeply mistaken” when he accused the mercenary leader of “betrayal”:
“We’re patriots of of our Motherland, we’ve fought and we continue to fight. And none of us is going to turn himself in at the demand of the president, the FSB, or anybody else. Because we don’t want the country to go on living in corruption, deception, and bureaucracy.”
24 июня 2023 г. 12:33:40
Volodymyr Zelensky’s advisor Mykhailo Podolyak comments on the armed Wagner insurgence
Russia is a step away from a civil war, the Ukrainian official believes:
What we have is a traditional internal conflict of the elites, which will undoubtedly grow into a civil war. If not today, then tomorrow; if not tomorrow, then the day after. This is an objective historical reality. Let’s keep in mind that both Prigozhin and Putin are war criminals. Last night, 49 missiles hit Ukrainian cities and its civilian population. Russia is continuing its genocidal war. And what matters for us is that Russia as we see it now should cease to exist.
24 июня 2023 г. 12:44:58
New footage and photos from Rostov-on-Don show Wagner troops block the entrance to the Southern Military District’s headquarters.
24 июня 2023 г. 12:53:11
An oil terminal is engulfed in flames in Voronezh. Locals are posting photos and videos of the fire. The authorities are yet to comment on its causes.
24 июня 2023 г. 12:55:06
A military helicopter had been spotted above the Voronezh oil terminal before the fire broke out, reports a local Telegram news channel.
24 июня 2023 г. 12:59:38
Terrified Voronezh residents have posted further emotional footage of the explosion on the oil terminal.
24 июня 2023 г. 13:01:08
24 июня 2023 г. 13:11:55
Read Prigozhin’s response to Vladimir Putin’s emergency address to the Russian people.
24 июня 2023 г. 13:13:07
Dmitry Medvedev speaks up about responding to insurrection with unity
Russia’s Security Council chair and ex-president Dmitry Medvedev writes, on Telegram, that “the main thing needed for victory over our internal and external adversary, eager to tear apart our Motherland, is to unite around the president and commander-in-chief.” “Division and betrayal are the path to the greatest tragedy, to a universal catastrophe,” Medvedev declared. “We will not allow this to happen. The enemy will be destroyed! Victory shall be ours!”
24 июня 2023 г. 13:22:47
Moscow city services consider implementing a curfew and begin inspecting basements around the city
Moscow's municipal authorities are considering introducing a curfew in the city. The decision has not yet been made, but “everything can change,” an informed source in the city administration told Meduza.
City services are also checking the condition of basements around Moscow.
All public events planned in the capital for this weekend have been postponed for a week, the same speaker said, adding that they’re likely to be postponed again.
Another source in the Moscow Mayor’s Office said the city is merely conducting routine checks. He noted that 100,000 security cameras are working throughout the city.
24 июня 2023 г. 13:30:59
Telegram is experiencing technical issues in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Voronezh and Volgograd regions, Sochi, Krasnodar, and Sevastopol, according to the tracking services DownRadar and Downdetector. This could be a result of unusually high traffic as Russians try to keep up with the news of Wagner Group’s rebellion.
24 июня 2023 г. 13:40:49
Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken by phone with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to “inform them about the situation,” according to Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
24 июня 2023 г. 13:46:50
Telegram news channels are citing a report that an Il-18 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces has been downed in the Voronezh region.
24 июня 2023 г. 13:53:18
An explosion went off near the Southern Military District’s headquarters in Rostov-on-Don.
Earlier, Wagner mercenaries had placed anti-tank mines in the city streets.
24 июня 2023 г. 14:01:53
After the self-styled “war correspondent” Alexander Kots posted footage of a Russian Mi-8 helicopter being allegedly fired at by Wagner forces, RIA Novosti acknowledged that the Mi-8 had crash-landed in the Voronezh region, one person being reportedly injured in the incident.
24 июня 2023 г. 14:07:59
Latest news as of 2:00 p.m., Moscow time
- 📢 Prigozhin calls Putin “deeply mistaken,” slamming Russia’s corruption and saying his Wagner fighters are the true “patriots”
- 🛢️ Oil terminal engulfed in flames in Voronezh
- 🚫 Moscow authorities consider imposing curfew
- 🚧 Telegram experiencing outages in some Russian regions
- ✈️ Russian Aerospace Forces Il-18 aircraft downed in Voronezh region
- 💥 Explosion goes off near Southern Military District’s headquarters in Rostov-on-Don
24 июня 2023 г. 14:14:12
Russia’s state censorship authority Roskomnadzor has told RBC that Internet service might be disrupted in areas where counter-terrorism measures are being effected in response to Wagner Group’s armed insurrection.
24 июня 2023 г. 14:43:27
24 июня 2023 г. 14:44:53
Just tuning in to events in Russia? Wondering who the hell is Yevgeny Prigozhin? And what the hell is the Wagner Group? Meduza’s The Naked Pravda podcast has got you covered with insight from top experts.
24 июня 2023 г. 14:55:55
Residents of Moscow and the Moscow region have reported receiving calls from unfamiliar numbers with messages from Wagner Group, according to journalist Farida Rustamova.
One person said the caller played the recording of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s statement in which the mercenary leader vowed to “restore justice.”
Another person heard a message from a “robotic male voice” that suggested he join Wagner Group and claimed its units were advancing on Moscow.
24 июня 2023 г. 15:33:49
Wagner Group veterans have been told to wait for the go-ahead to join the uprising, according to the independent outlet iStories.
“We’re waiting for the official order from [Prigozhin]. The Russian National Guard and the army are refusing to obey orders, and we’ve been ordered to stand by in full combat readiness. There should be an order on further actions closer to lunchtime,” said on former member who fought in Ukraine.
24 июня 2023 г. 15:46:09
An armored motorcade of Chechen fighters is moving towards Rostov-on-Don, stretching for miles.
Eyewitness footage of a long string of armored military vehicles, reportedly moving along the highway to Rostov-on-Don, has been posted on one of the local Telegram news channels. According to the person who recorded it, the motorcade is several kilometers long, and is reportedly comprised of combatants from the Chechen Akhmat formations, who are driving armored vehicles, trucks, and even their own cars.
According to the news outlet 161.ru, “around 200 troops” have been sent to the Rostov region and tasked with neutralizing the Wagner insurgents.
Earlier, head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov said that both regular army servicemen and members of the National Guard in the republic had already left for the hostilities zone.
24 июня 2023 г. 15:53:47
Meduza asked its Russian readers to tell us how they’ve experienced the last 20 hours, and how they think Prigozhin’s rebellion is likely to end.
24 июня 2023 г. 15:56:40
iStories: Putin’s plane left Moscow and vanished from the radars.
The Russian president’s special aircraft Il96–PU, equipped with the technology enabling communications with the Russian army command, left Moscow at 2:16 p.m. local time, flying in the direction of St. Petersburg. No destination had been logged, and when the plane reached Tver, it disappeared from the aircraft tracking system. iStories reported this information, citing the Flightradar24 flight tracker.
Tver is one of the places where Putin has a private residence.
According to Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, Putin did not fly to St. Petersburg. Earlier, Peskov claimed that the president was working at the Kremlin.
24 июня 2023 г. 16:03:21
According to a source close to the Russian military’s General Staff who spoke to the outlet iStories, Putin plans to have his security forces “eliminate” Yevgeny Prigozhin and to offer amnesty to all Wagner Group fighters.
The source said that the Russian military doesn’t have the resources it would take to stop Prigozhin from reaching Moscow, and that it’s currently gathering troops from all units that aren’t currently on the front in Ukraine.
24 июня 2023 г. 16:20:39
A convoy of Wagner Group fighters has been spotted in the village of Krasnoye in Russia’s Lipetsk district (based on video geolocated by Meduza). An eyewitness from the area confirmed having seen people in unmarked camouflage uniforms.
According to Google Maps, Krasnoye is about 400 kilometers (or about 250 miles) from Moscow.
24 июня 2023 г. 16:35:53
Russian lawmaker Pavel Krasheninnikov said Wagner Group fighters can still “lay down their arms and avoid punishment, considering their achievements in the special military operation,” but that they need to do it “as soon as possible,” according to Russian state news.
24 июня 2023 г. 16:37:57
Rostelecom, Russia’s largest digital services provider, has recommended its employees work remotely while counter-terrorism measures are in place, a source has told TASS. Counter-terrorism measures have been put into effect in Moscow, as well as the Moscow and Voronezh regions.
24 июня 2023 г. 16:52:43
Footage from Rostov-on-Don shows a chaotic scene, with people crowding in the street and arguing loudly.
24 июня 2023 г. 17:05:45
A video posted on Telegram appears to show a broken roadblock on Russia’s M4 federal highway near the Ikorets River, south of Voronezh. “They tried to block his path to Moscow,” says a voice in the clip, presumably referring to Prigozhin.
24 июня 2023 г. 17:20:21
Lipetsk Governor Igor Artamonov has confirmed that Wagner military vehicles are in the region. “Law enforcement and the authorities, including municipal ones, are taking all necessary measures to ensure the population’s safety,” he assured residents, asking them not to leave their homes.
Russia’s M-4 federal highway, which links Moscow to Rostov, runs through the Lipetsk region.
24 июня 2023 г. 17:38:02
Wagner Group fighters illegally detaining people in Rostov-on-Don.
According to the local news outlet Bloknot, Wagner mercenaries stopped a car with license plates from the annexed “Luhansk People’s Republic” and forced the men inside to lie on the asphalt. They then took the men in an unknown direction.
24 июня 2023 г. 17:47:24
All of the buses scheduled to depart Rostov-on-Don’s main bus station on Saturday have been canceled. Crowds have formed at the city’s train station as people try to get out of the city, according to Kommersant.
24 июня 2023 г. 18:07:21
Excavators dig up highways in Lipetsk, making roads near Wagner column impassable
Video footage has appeared on Telegram channels, showing excavators digging up roads in Russia’s Lipetsk region, where at least one Wagner column is currently located. According to Prigozhin, his fighters are heading to Moscow.
24 июня 2023 г. 18:07:52
Latest news as of 6:00 p.m., Moscow time
- 🪖 Wagner Group convoys appear to be advancing north towards Moscow.
- 🪖 An armored motorcade of Chechen fighters is headed towards Rostov-on-Don.
- 💻 Rostelecom, Russia’s largest digital services provider, has recommended its employees work remotely
- ⛓️ Wagner fighters have reportedly begun detaining people in Rostov.
- 🛫 Putin’s plane left Moscow at around 2:16 local time. His spokesman claims he’s still at the Kremlin.
- 🎯 One source said Putin plans to “eliminate” Prigozhin and offer amnesty to Wagner fighters.
24 июня 2023 г. 18:10:35
Russian schools, pre-schools, and libraries have started putting up identical social media posts in support of Vladimir Putin, reports the Telegram channel Astra. The posts urge readers “not to succumb to provocations and to prevent an internal split between the state and our people.”
24 июня 2023 г. 18:24:17
Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin announces he’s giving residents Monday, June 26 the day off work “in order to minimize risks.” He calls the current situation “complex.”
24 июня 2023 г. 18:43:46
Railway stations in Rostov-on-Don are overcrowded with people trying to leave the city, local media is reporting. Kommersant says there are large queues at the suburban railway station.
According to the regional government, the bus station is operating normally. “The sale of tickets to destinations where traffic is temporarily blocked has been stopped,” the government’s press service told reporters.
24 июня 2023 г. 18:45:07
Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry warns Western countries not to “take advantage” of the Wagner Group armed rebellion to achieve their “Russophobic goals.”
We warn Western countries off any hint of using Russia’s domestic situation to achieve their Russophobic goals. Such attempts are futile, and will not get a response either in Russia or among sensible political forces abroad. We are certain that a solution worthy of the age-old wisdom of the Russian people will be found in the near future.
The ministry’s statement added that “the rebellion plays into the hands of the Russian Federation’s external enemies.” It did not mention either Yevgeny Prigozhin or Wagner Group.
24 июня 2023 г. 19:20:31
Shots fired in central Rostov-on-Don
Russian news outlets are reporting that several shots were fired in the center of Rostov-on-Don.
Videos posted on Telegram show people running.
According to one Russian state news correspondent, Wagner Group fighters ordered residents who were gathered around the Southern Military District’s headquarters to leave the area.
24 июня 2023 г. 19:26:29
A Meduza correspondent walked through the center of Moscow and reports that there’s “a strong feeling that there should be a rally, but there isn’t.” Here’s what they saw:
- At the Kazansky railway station: increased passenger inspections, the building was being guarded by police officers in bulletproof vests with truncheons. The correspondent also noticed people in unmarked military uniforms near the station, but they couldn’t figure out what they were doing there.
- In front of the General Staff building on Znamenka Street there were fully equipped soldiers with submachine guns, one of the five soldiers was carrying a shotgun.
- In the Alexander Garden, people were walking, lots of children. Red Square was closed. NDP (a Russian far-right political alliance associated with the Kremlin) activists were holding a rally near the monument to Marshal Zhukov.
- Barriers have been installed on Manezhnaya Square, but the square was still open.
- There were more police officers than usual outside the Duma. On the corner of Tverskaya Street and Okhotny Ryad, there were several members of the Federal Guard Service and police, all wearing flak jackets.
- There were police buses and officers behind the FSB building on the Lubyanka, and two police officers with submachine guns were patrolling Lubyanka Passage.
- The correspondent did not see any clusters of military equipment, but there were noticeably more cars with flashing lights going around the city than usual on a weekend. Communications in the center of Moscow worked fine. Muscovites were walking around and discussing the military uprising among other topics, but no military personnel were visible. There are metal fences around Red Square.
24 июня 2023 г. 20:21:58
Meduza’s interactive map of the Prigozhin convoy’s progress toward Moscow, now in English.
24 июня 2023 г. 20:30:13
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, with Vladimir Putin’s agreement, held talks with Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, says Lukashenko’s press service. According to Lukashenko’s team, Prigozhin agreed to stop his convoy’s progress toward Moscow and to take “further steps to de-escalate tension.” Neither Russian official channels nor Prigozhin have confirmed this information.
24 июня 2023 г. 20:33:19
Prigozhin says Wagner Group is turning its convoys around.
“They wanted to dissolve Wagner Group. On June 23, we set off on our ‘march of justice.’ In the span of 24 hours, we got within 200 kilometers of Moscow. During that time, not a single drop of our fighters’ blood was shed. Now we’ve reached the moment where bloodshed is possible. So, understanding the full responsibility for the potential shedding of Russian blood from either side, we’re turning our columns around and heading back in the opposite direction towards our field camps, according to plan.”
24 июня 2023 г. 20:36:52
Video footage of armored vehicles moving through Moscow.
24 июня 2023 г. 20:47:59
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the citizens of Russia (in Russian)
“I’ll say it in Russian. It’s clear that the person in the Kremlin is very afraid and is probably hiding somewhere and is not showing himself. I’m confident that he’s already left Moscow. He’s calling somewhere, asking for something… He knows what to be afraid of because he himself created this threat. All evil, all loses, all hatred, he himself spreads. The longer he is able to run between his bunkers, the more you will all lose… all those connected to Russia.
What will we Ukrainians do? We will defend our country. We will defend our freedom. We will not be silent and we will not stand idly by. We know how to win and we will. Our victory in this war will be clear.
And what will you all be doing?
The longer your troops will be on Ukrainian territory, the larger the collapse they will then bring to Russia. The longer this person will be in the Kremlin, the larger this catastrophe will be.”
24 июня 2023 г. 20:52:06
All the regions of Russia that took counter-terrorism measures during Prigozhin’s advance on Moscow.
24 июня 2023 г. 21:48:00
Local news outlet 161.ru has shared footage of Rostov-on-Don residents wishing Wagner Group fighters farewell as they prepare to leave town. This same footage was also shared by state news outlet RIA Novosti.
24 июня 2023 г. 21:51:08
Sergey Sobyanin’s spokesman has confirmed that Moscow residents will still get the day off on Monday.
24 июня 2023 г. 21:56:37
Roadworks are already underway in the Lipetsk region to repair the roadway that was preemptively destroyed in anticipation of the (now-cancelled) Wagner advance on Moscow, reports the Telegram channel Baza.
24 июня 2023 г. 21:59:10
At this writing, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Telegram audio message announcing the end of his attempted “coup” has racked more than 4.7 million listens — and more than 99,000 🤡 emoji reactions.
24 июня 2023 г. 22:11:29
Per Alexander Lukashenko’s press service, the Belarusian leader phoned Vladimir Putin after his talks with Yevgeny Prigozhin. Apparently, Lukashenko gave Putin a detailed report on results of the negotiations. Putin allegedly expressed his support and “thanked his Belarusian colleague for the work he’d done.”
24 июня 2023 г. 22:14:06
Armored personnel carriers and National Guard vehicles are leaving checkpoints in Moscow and returning to their places of permanent deployment, reports the Telegram channel Mash. This footage has not been verified.
24 июня 2023 г. 22:24:35
Footage of Wagner Group forces withdrawing from the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, courtesy of Russian state news agency TASS. Local residents can be heard clapping and chanting “Wagner!”
24 июня 2023 г. 22:45:52
It’s 10:45 p.m. in Moscow and we’re hitting pause on the live blog, for now. Check back later for more updates or visit our regular news feed for the most important developments!
24 июня 2023 г. 22:52:11
And we spoke too soon!
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that Russia will drop the criminal case against Yevgeny Prigozhin for inciting an armed insurrection. “He’s leaving for Belarus,” Peskov told state news agency TASS.
24 июня 2023 г. 23:38:12
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia will drop the criminal case against Yevgeny Prigozhin. He will “leave for Belarus,” Peskov added. He said that it’s not known to him what Prigozhin will do after this, and that Russia will not prosecute those Wagner fighters that took part in the rebellion, given their services on the front.
The Kremlin spokesman also added:
- There are no known changes to Putin’s confidence in Russia’s Defense Minister.
- Lukashenko offered to act as a negotiator, since he’s known Prigozhin for over 20 years.
- Lukashenko’s mediation efforts to avoid bloodshed were successful.
- Some Wagner units did not participate in the rebellion. These fighters can sign contracts with Russia’s Defense Ministry, if they wish.
- Personnel changes within Russia’s Defense Ministry are up to the Russian president and are unlikely to have been discussed during talks about ending the rebellion.
- The rebellion will in no way impact the “special operation.”
- It’s impossible to say for certain when the counter-terrorism measures will be lifted.
- There are no plans for Putin to make another national televised address.
25 июня 2023 г. 04:55:31
It’s now been several hours since Wagner forces abandoned Rostov-on-Don, where they first seized control of a key military headquarters. Footage from on the ground as the mercenaries withdrew shows what appear to be local residents cheering the fighters, some of whom fire their guns into the air as they leave. A small crowd of people also rushed to Prigozhin as his car pulled away, asking for selfies and handshakes.
25 июня 2023 г. 04:59:11
After the Wagnerites were gone, the local police in Rostov arrived at the abandoned military headquarters, where a small crowd of men in civilian clothes reportedly accosted the officers, confronting the vehicles and shouting things like “Traitors!” and “Disgrace!”
25 июня 2023 г. 05:06:49
With that, folks, we are finally closing down our live coverage of the Wagner Group insurrection, but by no means is Meduza ending its reporting on this subject. Another live blog will follow if Prigozhin decides to rally his men again, and we will bring you loads more feature stories about these strange events and their aftermath. As you scratch your head with what’s left of the weekend, consider chewing on some of these more in-depth reports from Meduza: