The head of the PMC "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin, with his 10,000 fighters, was heading towards Moscow in the summer of 2023 to overthrow Vladimir Putin. The statement that the goal was only to remove Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu is a lie.
This was reported by the well-known investigative journalist, head of Bellingcat, Christo Grozev, in an interview with Mikhail Zygar.
According to Grozev, the mutiny failed due to a combination of several factors. Firstly, Prigozhin himself did not believe he could reach the Russian capital. Secondly, they were heavily pressured by Russian special services.
"What happened in the middle? Most likely, it's a combination of factors. He personally realized how difficult the last 150 km (to the Russian capital) would be. Bridges were prepared for explosions, he wouldn't have been able to cross those bridges to get to Moscow. And there are hints and rumors that the FSB took the relatives, the children of the top members of 'Wagner,' hostage. This is their style. This may have also influenced their decision to back off," the journalist said.
He is still puzzled by the fact that Prigozhin trusted Putin's security guarantees and made a deal with him.
According to Grozev, in exchange for his life, Prigozhin handed over very "lucrative" shares in his African businesses to Putin and his inner circle. Perhaps he believed that he had bought off the Kremlin.
"He underestimated Putin's irrationality. Putin destroys everyone who offends him. And he doesn't care how disadvantageous it may be for him... Maybe he had no choice but to believe in such an illusion... His death was predictable," the head of Bellingcat said.
He also emphasized that no one in the top leadership of the Russian Federation doubts that it was the Kremlin that eliminated the head of the PMC "Wagner." He was executed conspicuously and openly.
"There wasn't even an attempt to hide it, as before," Grozev said.
