Authorities in Russia have launched a criminal probe against the owner of the Wagner Group military contractor over his alleged threats to remove Russia’s defence minister.
The announcement on Friday follows a statement from Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin accusing Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket attack on Wagner’s field camps in Ukraine, where its soldiers are fighting on behalf of Russia. In audio posted to the social media platform Telegram, Prigozhin railed against the rocket blasts and the toll it has taken on Wagner forces. “Huge numbers of our fighters, of our combat comrades, have been killed,” he said. “The evil that the military leadership of the country bears must be stopped. They neglect the lives of soldiers. They forget the word justice.” Prigozhin estimated that 2,000 of his fighter had been killed in the blasts, though he failed to provide evidence for that death toll. His message included a call-to-action that the Russian government has since interpreted as appeal to mutiny. “There are 25,000 of us, and we’re going to figure out why this chaos is happening in the country,” Prigozhin said, indicating that he had more forces in reserve and support from military members. “Everyone is welcome to join. We must end this disgrace.”
Source: aljazeera.com
