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The calls of the head of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, for an uprising have brought developments in Russia. President Putin spoke of "betrayal" and "stabbing in the back". "New York Times" has analyzed what is happening in Russia.
Chief Wagner's scathing attack on the Russian military establishment has dramatically escalated tensions, but it is still unclear how much of a threat the situation poses to the Kremlin. Russian generals accused a Russian mercenary tycoon on Friday of trying to stage a coup against President Vladimir Putin.
It marked an extraordinary open clash between Wagner's boss and the military, who have been feuding for months over Russia's war tactics in Ukraine. Overnight there were reports of military movements in an area of southern Russia near the border with Ukraine. And on Saturday morning, the tycoon, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, claimed to be in control of parts of the military command headquarters in southern Russia.
It was unclear how many of Wagner's forces they controlled or how much of a threat they posed to the Kremlin. But the stalemate was already the biggest challenge to Mr Putin's rule since Russia invaded Ukraine 16 months ago.
In a speech to the nation, Putin called the actions of the Wagner forces a "stab in the back of our country and our people" and promised "decisive action".
Tensions escalated on Friday evening after Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking the camps of his fighters - a claim that could not be immediately verified. He also described the invasion of Ukraine as a "coup" carried out by a corrupt Russian elite.
The counterattack of the state of war
As much of the world watches the slow progress of the campaign in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky and his aides are trying to temper expectations, saying that toppling Russia will be a difficult and bloody effort. In Crimea, a Russian-held bridge far behind the front line that helps Moscow supply its forces in Ukraine was hit by a missile, Kremlin-backed local officials said.
Aid to Ukraine
Western countries pledged tens of billions of dollars to rebuild war-torn Ukraine as leaders gathered for a two-day conference called by the British government. Mr Prigozhin, for his part, vowed that his 25,000-strong mercenary force would go on the offensive against the Russian Defense Ministry, although he said the actions did not amount to a "military coup". Russian authorities responded by accusing Prigozhin of "organising an armed rebellion". A Russian general urged Prigozhin's fighters not to "play into the hands" of an enemy he said was expecting Russia's domestic political situation to deteriorate. On Saturday, the governor of the Rostov region asked residents to stay in their homes, saying that the authorities were "doing everything necessary" to ensure their safety. The governor of the nearby Voronezh region, north of Rostov, also said a convoy of military equipment was moving along a local highway. It was not clear in which direction he was moving.
As the events unfolded in Russia, the armed forces of Ukraine posted on Twitter the message: "We are watching."
Who is Prigozhin?
The St. Petersburg tycoon has for years been part of a glamorous circle of Russian oligarchs with close ties to President Putin. In 2018 he was one of 13 Russians indicted by a federal court in the United States for meddling in the 2016 US election. Mr. Prigozhin Wagner's mercenary force, a shadowy private military company, first emerged during the annexation of illegal annexation of Crimea from Russia in 2014. Since then he has exerted influence on behalf of Moscow in Syria, Libya, Central African Republic, Sudan, Mali and Mozambique.
Wagner është në qendër të luftës së Kremlinit në Ukrainë dhe udhëhoqi sulmin e fundit në qytetin lindor të Ukrainës, Bakhmut. Dhe Prigozhin, i cili ka rekrutuar luftëtarë nga burgjet, është parë gjerësisht si një simbol i Rusisë së kohës së luftës: i pamëshirshëm, i paturpshëm dhe i paligjshëm.
Pse është i zemëruar Prigozhin?
Prigozhin ka nisur një breshëri akuzash kundër lidershipit ushtarak të Rusisë muajt e fundit. Ai akuzon gjeneralët rusë se nuk i kanë furnizuar forcat e tij me municion të mjaftueshëm dhe se kanë injoruar betejat e ushtarëve. Kremlini i toleroi reagimet e tij për muaj të tërë, edhe pse disa analistë thanë se Prigozhin ishte i gatshëm të krahasonte rëndësinë e tij të sapogjetur në një ndikim më të gjerë politik, duke kërcënuar potencialisht mbajtjen e Putinit në pushtet.
But official patience had clearly run out on Saturday morning, when the country's Attorney General announced that Prigozhin was being investigated on charges that carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Russian state news agency TASS reported that he had been charged. Later on Saturday morning, Putin addressed the situation in Rostov-on-Don during a brief speech on state television, saying "decisive action" would be taken to stabilize it. He said the functioning of the military and political institutions in the southern Russian city of one million people was "essentially blocked". "Actions that divide our unity are essentially defeatism before the people themselves," Putin said.
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