French President Emmanuel Macron, in an interview with La Provence newspaper on June 25, said that Wagner tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin's lightning-fast armed uprising revealed internal divisions within Russia.
Screenshot of video posted on the NY Times shows Wagner forces leaving Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on the evening of June 24, 2023
On the evening of June 23, several audio recordings were posted on the Telegram channel of Mr. Prigozhin - the founder of the Wagner Private Military Group, which is participating in the military campaign in Ukraine. Specifically, Mr. Prigozhin stated that his units had been attacked and blamed the country's military leadership.
In connection with these statements, the Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case on calls for armed uprising. The Russian Defense Ministry has denied allegations that it carried out attacks on Wagner's field camps in Ukraine.
Then, early on June 24, videos circulated on social media showing Russian army and national guard armored vehicles deployed in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don, where Prigozhin said his fighters were advancing. Despite the defensive measures, Wagner forces reportedly took control of Rostov-on-Don with little resistance, and continued to advance toward the capital, Moscow.
But the Wagner rebellion fizzled out as quickly as it had begun. Later in the day, Mr. Prigozhin said in an audio message that his forces had come within 200 kilometers of Moscow and were “turning around” to return to their field camps. The Wagner forces then left Rostov-on-Don. Mr. Prigozhin also left the city in a heavily guarded black SUV.
Belarusian state media has unexpectedly announced that the country's President, Alexander Lukashenko, has reached an agreement with Wagner tycoon, in coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the agreement, Mr. Prigozhin will travel to Belarus, and the criminal case against the Wagner leader has also been dropped.
Wagner tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves Rostov-on-Don in a heavily guarded black SUV on the evening of June 24, 2023. Photo: NY Times
Speaking to the French newspaper La Provence, President Macron said he had been following the events (taking place in Russia) hourly with France's main partners.
Stressing that the situation was still developing, Mr Macron said that the Wagner uprising revealed “the cracks that exist in the Russian government, the fragility of both the regular army and auxiliary forces” like Wagner.
The French president also reiterated the importance of supporting Ukraine amid the turmoil in Russia. “These developments make us extremely vigilant and are a testament to the support we are providing to the Ukrainian people in their resistance,” he said .
Minh Duc (According to TASS, Yahoo!News)
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