28-6-2023 (WASHINGTON) Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner mercenary group, had intended to detain the heads of the Russian military during last week’s mutiny, but his planned rebellion was discovered early, and they managed to avoid capture, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
Citing information from Western officials, the newspaper revealed that Prigozhin had aimed to seize rivals Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, and Gen Valery Gerasimov, the chief of staff, while they were visiting southern Russia. However, the Russian domestic security service FSB learned of the plot, leading Shoigu and Gerasimov to change their travel plans, unnamed officials stated.
This development forced Prigozhin to act prematurely. On Friday, his Wagner forces took control of the headquarters of the Russian Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, a crucial logistics and command center in the war on Ukraine.
US officials had reportedly been aware of the planned uprising days in advance. Prigozhin had dispatched a column of forces from his privately run army towards Moscow before ultimately surrendering, as President Vladimir Putin branded the group as “traitors.”
Prigozhin is currently in Belarus, and the Russian military is in the process of regaining control of the military equipment used by his mercenary army, bringing the fighters under Moscow’s authority.
The New York Times, also citing unnamed US officials, reported that senior Russian General Sergei Surovikin had prior knowledge of Prigozhin’s mutiny plans. This advance knowledge by top military officials could have prevented potential allies of Prigozhin and the Wagner group from joining the revolt, ultimately contributing to its failure.
On Tuesday, Russian National Guard Commander Viktor Zolotov claimed that there were leaks from within Wagner regarding the revolt and alleged that Western agents may have been involved, as reported by Russian state media.
