Russian military helicopters reportedly opened fire Saturday on an army of mercenary rebels who are advancing toward Moscow as the country rapidly descends into chaos, with Russian President Vladimir Putin pledging to crush the “treason” now threatening his decades-long reign atop the Kremlin.
It’s been a stunning turn of events in Russia as Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the powerful Wagner Group and formerly a key figure in the highest level of military circles in Moscow, launched an armed rebellion aimed at toppling the leadership of Russia’s embattled Defense Ministry. The move, which Mr. Putin dubbed a “stab in the back,” comes after months of Mr. Prigozhin’s public criticism of the Kremlin and its inability — or perhaps refusal — to provide Wagner fighters in Ukraine with the food, ammunition and equipment they need. Wagner mercenaries have often appeared to be the country’s most effective fighters in Ukraine, leading to major dissension between the group and the Russian military proper.
Mr. Prigozhin’s private army now appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city about 660 miles south of Moscow and a crucial logistics and communications hub for Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. The Wagner army may be using that site as a base of operations as it begins its push toward Moscow.
Amid the unfolding conflict, Mr. Putin appeared on state television Saturday and pledged to put down the rebellion.
“We will defend both our people and our statehood from any threats, including internal treachery. What we have been confronted with can be precisely called treachery. The unbounded ambitions and personal interests have led to a treason and a betrayal of the country and its people,” Mr. Putin said, according to Moscow’s state-run Tass News Agency.
The Russian leader, now 70 years old and facing criticism from within his own country amid its military failures in Ukraine, vowed that the Russian Federation will not see a full-blown civil war. He said Mr. Prigozhin’s actions are a betrayal of the Russian men who have died so far in the Ukraine war. The Kremlin also called for the Wagner leader’s immediate arrest.
“The heroes who liberated Soledar and Artyomovsk, towns and settlements in Donbas, who fought and lost their lives for Novorossiya, for the unity of the Russian world — their name and glory have also been betrayed by those who are trying to stage a mutiny and pushing the country towards anarchy and fratricide, defeat and finally surrender,” he said, according to Tass.
Mr. Prigozhin framed the conflict much differently. He said his private army, estimated to have well over 50,000 fighters within its ranks, are trying to save the country, not destroy it.
“Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland,” he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. “We do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy.”
“This is not a military coup, but a march of justice,” Mr. Prigozhin said.
The situation on the ground in Russia remains murky, but Reuters reported Saturday that the Wagner forces are already about halfway toward Moscow. Russian military helicopters fired on the Wagner convoy, according to Reuters, which has journalists on the ground in the area.
One of the biggest questions is how much support Mr. Prigozhin and his fighters may have within the Russian military establishment itself. It’s unclear how the Wagner fighters were able to enter and control Rostov-on-Don so quickly, and their apparent success suggests that perhaps the Russian rank and file are not putting up a great deal of resistance.
Indeed, foreign intelligence analysts say that dynamic — whether the Russian armed forces remain loyal to Mr. Putin or join a movement to overthrow parts of his government — is key.
“With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner,” the British Ministry of Defense wrote in a Twitter post Saturday. “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. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times.”
Mr. Prigozhin’s ire is aimed mainly at Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian military’s general staff. The Wagner leader has argued both men have badly bungled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and have failed to give Wagner fighters in Ukraine the support they need.
By contrast, the upper echelons of Russian military circles have increasingly viewed Mr. Prigozhin as a threat to the Kremlin and as a wild card who cannot be controlled. It seemed virtually certain over the past several months that the conflict would eventually come to a head.
For Mr. Prigozhin, it’s not clear whether he’ll be able to pull other hard-line Russian factions into his rebellious camp. For example, Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who also has taken direct aim at Russian military leadership, made clear Saturday he sides with Mr. Putin.
“We have the commander in chief, elected by the people, who knows the situation to the slightest detail better than any strategist and businessman,” Mr. Kadyrov said. “The mutiny needs to be suppressed.”
This article is based in part on wire-service reports.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.