Prigozhin: "Wagner is Patriotic... Putin's 'Traitor' Accusation is a Mistake" (Summary)

"We are all patriots, not traitors."

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary company Wagner Group that launched an armed rebellion, refuted President Vladimir Putin's labeling of him as a traitor in an audio message posted on the Wagner Group's Telegram channel on the 24th (local time), saying, "It is a serious misconception by the president to call us traitors."

Leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin
[Photo by Reuters]

Prigozhin emphasized, "We have been fighting and are still fighting," and "No one will surrender according to the demands of the president, the Federal Security Service (FSB), or anyone similar." He also accused the Russian authorities of embezzling aid funds for Africa, where the Wagner Group had previously fought, and of halting ammunition supplies in Ukraine. He added, "We no longer want our homeland to live with corruption, lies, and bureaucracy."

Earlier, President Putin defined the situation as treason in a TV address. He warned, "We are witnessing a knife in the back and facing treason," and "Our response will be harsh, and those involved in treason will be punished." Targeting Prigozhin, he said, "Excessive ambition and selfishness have led to treason and betrayal of the homeland and the people," and pointed out, "It is the homeland and the people who were the goals for the Wagner Group's soldiers and commanders who fought and died alongside our military."

Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence and foreign media reported that the Wagner Group has begun advancing north toward Moscow, seizing another southern city, Voronezh, following Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia. Voronezh is a city about 500 km south of Moscow. The Russian Anti-Terrorism Committee declared an anti-terrorism operation regime for Voronezh along with Moscow on the same day. An arrest warrant was issued for Prigozhin. Earlier, the Wagner Group had taken control of the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, located in Russia's southwestern Rostov Oblast, claiming that the Russian military had attacked them.