Prigozhin claims Russian defense ministry wanted Wagner to "cease to exist" starting on July 1
From Anna Chernova
Members of the Wagner Group sit atop a tank in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on Saturday, June 24. AP
The Russian Defense Ministry had planned for Wagner private military group to "cease to exist" starting on July 1, the group's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed Monday in an audio message.
"No one agreed to sign a contract with the Defense Ministry, since everyone knows very well from the current situation and their experience during the special military operation that this will lead to a complete loss of combat capability," Prigozhin said in the audio message.
But then he proceeded to say that some fighters did sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense, but claimed that it was only a minimal number.
"Those fighters who decided that they were ready to move to the Ministry of Defense did so. But this is the minimum number, estimated at 1-2%. All the arguments to keep PMC Wagner were presented, but none were implemented," he said.
17 min ago
Prigozhin says march toward Moscow was a demonstration of protest and not intended to overturn power
From CNN's Mariya Knight, Anna Chernova and Katharina Krebs
Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District amid the group's pullout from the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on Saturday, June 24. Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin released
new audio Mondayexplaining his decision to turn around his march on Moscow.
Prigozhin said he wanted to avoid Russian bloodshed and also said the march was a demonstration of protest and not intended to overturn power in the country.
This is Prigozhin's first audio message since announcing on Saturday night that his column was turning back "to avoid bloodshed."
"Overnight, we have walked 780 kilometers (about 484 miles). Two hundred-something kilometers (about 125 miles) were left to Moscow," Prigozhin claimed in the latest audio message, despite no evidence that his Wagner forces made it that close to the Russian capital. “Not a single soldier on the ground was killed."
“We regret that we were forced to strikes on aircraft," he said. "...but these aircraft dropped bombs and launched missile strikes."
The Wagner boss also claimed in the audio message that about 30 of his fighters died in the Russian military's attack on the mercenary group on Friday.
Prigozhin said the attack came days before Wagner was due to leave its positions on June 30 hand over equipment to the Southern Military District in Rostov, Russia.
The purpose of his forces' march toward Moscow, the Wagner boss said, was to prevent the "destruction" of Wagner private military company, and "to bring to justice those who, through their unprofessional actions, made a huge number of mistakes during the special military operation."
Prigozhin said the march stopped when the detachment "made a reconnaissance of the area, and it was obvious that at that moment a lot of blood would be shed. We felt that demonstrating what we were going to do was sufficient."
"At this time, Alexander Lukashenko extended his hand and offered to find solutions for the further work of Wagner PMC in legal jurisdiction," he added.
More background: Prigozhin had agreed to leave Russia for Belarus on Saturday following a deal apparently
brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko which ended the armed rebellion.
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Lukashenko had suggested the deal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to help resolve the brief mutiny, during a telephone conversation on Saturday morning in order to "avoid the great bloodshed that would inevitably occur if the rebel detachments continued to move towards Moscow. This proposal was supported by President Putin."
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Huu mzimu wa 'Wagner' utaitesa mno Urusi kwa siku za mbeleni, kinyago alichokichonga Putin sasa kinamtisha.
Urusi itazidi kudhoofika kutokana na hii Vita na Ukraine na mzozo wa ndani.
