"We marched to demonstrate our protest, not to overthrow the government in the country": Yevgeny Prigozhin made his first statement since the military mutiny.
His nearly 12-minute voice message appeared on the Telegram channel "Prigozhin's Press Service."
In the recording, the head of the private military company described the preconditions for the "March of Justice" on June 24. He claimed that Wagner is "the most experienced and combat-ready unit in Russia, and possibly in the world." However, as a result of intrigue, it was scheduled to cease operations on July 1, 2023, since only 1-2% of its fighters agreed to "sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense."
"A council of commanders convened and briefed the troops. No one agreed to sign the contract with the Ministry of Defense, as everyone knew full well it would lead to a complete loss of combat capability." — explains Prigogine.
He assures that the Wagnerites were ready to go out in a column Rostov-on-Don and transfer the equipment to the Ministry of Defense.
"Despite the fact that we showed no aggression, we were hit by a missile strike. 30 people were killed. Some were wounded. This served as a trigger for an immediate deployment, — says the head of the PMC, explaining that one of the columns left in Rostov-on-Don, the other one - to the side Moscow. “None of the PMC fighters were forced to go on the mission, and everyone knew its purpose.”
Prigogine He stated that the purpose of the campaign was to hold accountable those who made mistakes during the so-called "SVO".
"Our march revealed the serious security problems throughout the country. We blocked all military units and airfields. In 24 hours, we covered the distance from the starting point of Russian troops on February 24, 2022, to Kyiv, and from that same point to Uzhhorod."- stated Prigogine. - If the actions of February 24 had been carried out by a unit with the same level of training as the Wagner PMC, the special operation might have lasted a day. Clearly, there were other problems, but we demonstrated the level of organization that the Russian army must meet.".
He also confirmed that several Wagner PMC mercenaries were wounded during the military mutiny, and two servicemen who defected to the rebels were killed.
The head of the Wagner PMC also mentioned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, saying that he "extended his hand and offered to find solutions for the continued operation of the Wagner PMC within a legal jurisdiction," so the columns turned back and returned to field camps.
Let's clarify, media сообщилиConstruction of a military camp for the Wagner PMC has begun in Belarus. It will accommodate 8 soldiers and will be located 200 km from the Ukrainian border.
Let's add it one last time Yevgeny Prigogine He contacted us on the evening of June 24, when his rebellion ended. His current whereabouts remain unknown.