An unverified video posted on the “Razgruzka Wagner” (Wagner’s Combat Vest) Telegram channel showed a scene in a forest where small fires were burning and trees appeared to have been broken by force.

It carried the caption: “A missile attack was launched on the camps of PMC Wagner. Many victims. According to eyewitnesses, the strike was delivered from the rear, that is, it was delivered by the military of the Russian Ministry of Defence.”

Prigozhin vowed to avenge the incident: “There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country.”

But he also added: “This is not a military coup.”

  • Fearofthefamiliar@beehaw.org
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    2 years ago

    But he also added: “This is not a military coup.”

    My “this is not a military coup” t shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt

  • sdx@beehaw.org
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    2 years ago

    Either this is some twisted 4D-chess move by Putin or this might really be the end of Prigozhin. This is really a step further than his previous diatribes.

    • Hirom@beehaw.org
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      2 years ago

      It could a general is genuinely mad at these mercenaries, and dumb enough to think a strike might pass as an attack from Ukraine due to the fog of war.

    • darkmugglet@lemm.ee
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      2 years ago

      I would my money on Prigozhin. Putin has a broken army and the Wagner’s are pissed. Russians on Russian fighting is not going to bode well, especially when one side is very angry.

      • Joe@kbin.social
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        2 years ago

        Seriously. Wagner mercenaries are the only trained soldiers left in Russia after Putin sent his personal army to their deaths

          • Square Singer@feddit.de
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            2 years ago

            Valid objection. But according to the russian secret service, the coup has already been squashed. And we all know they are a super trustworthy source. /s

    • Hubi@feddit.de
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      2 years ago

      The arrest warrant for Prigozhin makes me think this is actually real.

  • lorossi97@feddit.it
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    2 years ago

    I wonder what could happen now. He already said that Putin has been tricked by the minister of defence to invade Ukraine. What does he really want?

    • Square Singer@feddit.de
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      2 years ago

      That is a good question.

      Another question is whether he has all his marbles together and whether what he wants and what he does actually fit together in a realistic way.

      It’s a common misconception that people in power got into power because they have a working brain and actually know what they are doing.

      Musk and u/spez are good examples for that misconception.

      Could also be that the mad leader of the mercenaries is actually just that: mad.

      • lorossi97@feddit.it
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        2 years ago

        I wouldn’t really compare spez with either Musk or Prigozhin, but I understand your opinion. He could be just mad or he’s forcing his hand because he feels he can have popular support … I guess we’ll see in a few days.

        • QHC@kbin.social
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          2 years ago

          Spez has directly praised Musk’s moves at Twitter and cited them as inspiration.

        • Square Singer@feddit.de
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          2 years ago

          Sure, they are all on different levels, but all of them are proof that you don’t have to be mentally stable to be in power and that you don’t need to understand the link between actions and results either.

    • exohuman@fedi196.gay
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      2 years ago

      @lorossi97

      @Exaggeration207

      I was initially thinking that this is an excuse to end the war by placing the blame on the minister of defense and leaving Putin unscathed. Now, I am not as sure about that considering they named the Wagner head a traitor.

  • Tyson712@kbin.social
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    2 years ago

    I think Putin is getting ready to pull back and is cleaning house of anyone who could overthrow him in the inevitable chaos of defeat

    • CapgrasDelusion@kbin.social
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      2 years ago

      My first instinct is Prigozhin is full of it and jockeying for position if Putin loses his grip but that’s very much just a guess. It’d be one hell of a gamble so I am probably wrong.

      EDIT: I guess more likely is he’s going for Shoigu’s position giving how the war has gone but Putin seems to be backing Shoigu for now. I guess we’ll see.

    • MxM111@kbin.social
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      2 years ago

      I think this is wishful thinking. Putin might be preparing to the eventual defeat, but not for pull back.