Exiled Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has launched an audio message for the primary time since abandoning a march to Moscow.
In the recording, he defended his so-called “march for justice”, which was launched amid claims that 30 Wagner troops had been killed in a rocket assault ordered by Russian army leaders.
Explaining why the march was deserted, Prigozhin mentioned he didn’t wish to shed Russian blood – and insisted that he had no intention of overthrowing the federal government.
He added: “We have shown the level of organisation that an army must meet.”
Describing the second he determined to order his fighters to halt their advance on Moscow, Prigozhin mentioned: “we felt that the demonstration of what we have been going to do was sufficient. And our choice to show again was influenced by two most necessary elements.
“The first factor was that we did not want to shed Russian blood. The second factor was that we were going for a demonstration of our protest, not to overthrow the government in the country.”
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‘Some are disillusioned that we stopped’
Prigozhin additionally insisted that he’s nonetheless receiving phrases of help from civilians – and a few of his fighters have been greeted with flags.
“They were all happy when we passed by. Many of them still write words of support, and some are disappointed that we stopped,” he mentioned.
He didn’t supply any particulars about the place he was or what his future plans are.
Prigozhin additionally mentioned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko “extended his hand and offered to find solutions for the further operation of Wagner in a legitimate jurisdiction”.
It got here as Vladimir Putin on Monday made his first public assertion because the 24-hour mutiny.
In a video uploaded to the Kremlin web site, the Russian president failed to say the assault and as a substitute congratulated the individuals of an industrial discussion board.
Source: information.sky.com”