Russian MOD Warns Wagner Fighters Against Taking Part in “Armed Coup”

By Staff, Agencies

The Russian Ministry of Defense has urged Wagner Group private military company soldiers to cease their armed insurrection, urging them to return to their bases.

In a statement on Saturday, the ministry claimed that members of the PMC “have been tricked into taking part in [Wagner group chief Evgeny] Prigozhin’s criminal gamble,” adding that some Wagner fighters “have already understood their mistake” and have asked the authorities for help in safely returning to their permanent deployment areas.

“This assistance has already been provided to those soldiers and commanders who sought it,” the ministry stated, asking Wagner members to “show prudence and get in touch with representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry of law enforcement agencies as soon as possible.”

“We guarantee everyone’s safety,” the statement said.

On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry has accused Prigozhin of spreading falsehoods, after a video made the rounds on social media purporting to show a rocket strike on one of the company’s bases from Russian territory.

All messages and video distributed on social networks on behalf of [Evgeny] Prigozhin about the alleged strike by the [Russian military] on the camps of PMC Wagner in the rear areas do not correspond to reality and are an informational provocation,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to carry out combat missions on the line of contact with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the special military operation,” the ministry added.

The statement came in response to a video purporting to show the aftermath of a “missile attack” on a Wagner camp in a forest somewhere. “There are many dead. According to eyewitnesses, the strike came from behind, i.e. from the forces of the Russian Defense Ministry,” according to the social media post.

“A large number of our fighters died. We will decide how we will respond to this atrocity. The next step is ours,” Prigozhin said in a statement commenting on the alleged attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed about the situation involving Prigozhin and Wagner, and all the necessary measures are being taken, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.