Global Courant
MOSCOW
The head of the Wagner Group claimed on Monday that the group did not plan to overthrow the Russian government during its weekend march to Moscow, but instead wanted to “voice protest” and prevent the paramilitary company from disintegrating.
In Telegram, Yevgeny Prigozhin said that the Russian Ministry of Defense plans to sign contracts with all Wagner fighters by July 1, and to make the group part of the regular army, which, according to Prigozhin, will “destroy its combat capability.”
In May, the ministry announced plans to sign contracts with all fighters fighting under the Russian flag in Ukraine, saying it was the only legal way to secure their rights, including the right to social support and the provision of ammunition and equipment.
According to Prigozhin, only 1-2% of Wagner militants agreed to join the Russian army under contract, and the rest formed a column on Saturday that set off on Saturday’s “March for Justice” to the city of Rostov-on-Don. He said he had “peaceful aims”.
However, Prigozhin said the Russian military chiefs were responsible, claiming that the regiment was hit by missiles fired from helicopters, killing about 30 people.
In response, Wagner Group said it had carried out attacks on the Russian Air Force, without specifying how many were killed.
“As soon as the first detachment approached Moscow, we stopped, deployed artillery, conducted reconnaissance, and it became clear that there would be bloodshed.
“We stopped for two reasons. First, we did not want to shed Russian blood. Secondly – we went to show our protest, not to overthrow the government in the country,” he said.
While the Wagner Group was about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Moscow, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko “reached out a helping hand and offered to find other opportunities to work in a legal jurisdiction,” Prigozhin said.
He said his march showed the problems in Russia’s defense and the inefficiency of Russian military commanders, and claimed that when Russian forces entered Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the attack was led by a group whose training level was comparable to Wagner’s. then “the operation would take a day.”
Only a part of the news presented to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS) and in summary form are available on the Anadolu Agency website. Please contact us for subscription options.
