Wagner PMC may launch attack on Kyiv from Belarus – British general
Photo: kanaldom.tv
Ukraine should be wary of a possible attack on the capital by the Wagner Private Military Company led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who after an attempted mutiny, is supposed to leave for Belarus by agreement with the self-proclaimed president Lukashenka.
This is the opinion of the former head of the General Staff of Great Britain, General Richard Dannatt, Sky News reports.
As the general emphasized, Ukrainian leaders must protect themselves from a possible attack led by Prigozhin on Kyiv from Belarus.
"The fact that he's gone to Belarus is a matter of some concern," said the former British Army chief of general staff.
If Prigozhin has "kept an effective fighting force around him, then he presents a threat again to the Ukrainian flank closest to Kyiv," where the war began, the general said.
According to Dannatt, it "is possible" that Russia may use the Wagner Group to try and take Kyiv again.
Also, he noted that the attempted mutiny in the Russian Federation was not a direct victory for anyone.
"There were no direct winners from yesterday's fiasco," the expert believes.
Dunnatt summed it up on Sky News:
"Putin is definitely much diminished. The Russian military… is clearly in some disarray," said Lord Dannatt.
For reference:
On the evening of June 23, Prigozhin, the head of Wagner Private Military Company, said that the Russian army attacked the rear positions of Wagner troops, resulting in "a huge number of soldiers" dying. In response, he announced a "campaign" to Rostov-on-Don to "deal with lawlessness in the army" and Shoigu [the Russian defense minister – ed.].
After 02:00, Prigozhin announced that his troops had already crossed the state borders and were moving through the Rostov region. He added that his forces allegedly "were warmly welcomed at the checkpoints."
At 7 a.m., Prigozhin announced that in Rostov, some soldiers of the Russian Guard and the police had allegedly gone over to his side. Some clashes with the Russian army took place.
After that, a video appeared showing the Wagner mercenaries entering the headquarters building of the Southern Military District. It also indicates Prigozhin demanding that an official military hand over Gerasimov [ the head of Russia's general Staff – ed.] and Shoigu. Otherwise, Wagner mercenaries will block Rostov and allegedly go to Moscow.
In another video, Prigozhin stated that Wagner PMC captured all military facilities in the city, including the airfield.
In Moscow, Voronezh, and Rostov-on-Don, the Federal Security Service of Russia, the Russian Guard, and the police were alerted after midnight, and the "Fortress" plan was introduced in the cities. Its essence is the maximum protection of state authorities and law and order.
According to Mykhailo Podoliak, the adviser to the head of the President's Office, the rebellion of the PMC founder will end in the defeat of one of the parties, as it will no longer be possible to reach an agreement.
There are reports that the Wagner mercenaries have probably occupied another settlement in the Russian Federation. In particular, the village of Krasne in the Lipetsk region.
In the end, on the evening of June 24, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, reported that the owner of the Wagner company had agreed to stop the movement of mercenaries on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Later, Prigozhin himself confirmed that his mercenaries were turning their columns and going in the opposite direction. According to him, the mercenaries "passed 200 km before reaching Moscow" in a day. He did not mention the conversation with Lukashenka.
The Kremlin announced that the criminal case against Yevgeny Prigozhin would be dropped, he would "go to Belarus," and the authorities would not prosecute the Wagner mercenaries for the attempted coup. The guarantee that Prigozhin will be able to go to Belarus "is the word of the President of Russia."
