Why did Wagner turn on Russia? What we know about the mercenary group rebelling against Putin
Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian paramilitary organization known as Wagner Group, said he will end an attempted coup d'état against Russian President Vladimir Putin, turn his mercenary group around from Moscow, and start heading in the opposite direction.
Despite months of supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine, Prigozhin has grown increasingly critical of the Russian Ministry of Defense and its efforts to support the war. Tensions boiled over on Friday after Prigozhin said his Wagner mercenaries would lead a "march of justice" against the Russian army.
The Wagner mercenary group came within 200 kilometers of Moscow on Saturday, before agreeing in the evening to turn around because Russian "blood might be shed," Prigozhin said.
In an address to the nation Saturday morning, Putin vowed to punish Prigozhin and the Wagner troops supporting the "attempted armed rebellion."
"Those who organized and prepared the military uprising, who took arms against their military comrades, have betrayed Russia and will pay for it," Putin said.
This is what you need to know about the Wagner Group and its leader: What is the Wagner Group in Russia? Wagner boss to withdraw troops from Bakhmut
The Wagner mercenary group is a paramilitary organization founded by Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a longtime close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prigozhin recently admitted to founding the Wagner Group in 2014 to support Russia in its annexation of Crimea and provide military assistance to pro-Russian separatists fighting in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
In the years since, the Wagner Group has been suspected of operating in at least 30 countries to further Russian interests, including in Syria, Libya, Venezuela, and the Central African Republic. The split between the Kremlin and Prigozhin's Wagner forces raises questions about the future of the group's influence in those regions.
The split between Putin and Prigozhin also raises questions about how long Wagner forces will continue to prop up Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, Nicolas Maduro's in Venezuela, and some governments in Africa, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, Prigozhin sent his Wagner troops to the frontlines of the war. He has also visited Russian prisons to fill the group's ranks, promising freedom to Russian inmates between the ages of 22 and 50 if they choose to serve in the mercenary outfit for six months.
The exact size of the group is unclear, but Prigozhin has previously claimed that he leads a force of more than 20,000 soldiers. Who is the Wagner Chief?
Prigozhin, 61, is the head of the Wagner mercenary group that was supporting the Russian government in its war against Ukraine before Prigozhin turned against the Russian Ministry of Defense.
After months of becoming increasingly critical of the Russian military and its efforts in the war against Ukraine, Prigozhin is now waging a campaign against the same people his group spent months fighting alongside in Ukraine.
Prigozhin was born in the former Soviet Union and served ten years in prison when he was younger. After he was freed from jail, Prigozhin ran a hot dog stand before he became the owner of several fancy restaurants in Saint Petersburg.
His restaurants drew the attention of the Russian elites and brought Prigozhin into close contact with Putin. The Russian president dined at Prigozhin’s restaurant with former French President Jacques Chirac and former U.S. President George W. Bush.
Earning the nickname “Putin’s chef,” Prigozhin found other ways to make himself useful to Russia’s president.
Prigozhin has admitted to being the founder of the Internet Research Agency, a network of companies that interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He was indicted in 2018 by a U.S. grand jury for interfering in American political elections. In 2021, Prigozhin was placed on the FBI’s “most wanted” list.
Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook