On June 23, 2023, the Wagner group, which is controlled by its head Yevgeny Prigozhin, revolted during the Russo-Ukrainian War. The Wagner group, a private military company, was founded by neoNazi soldier Dmitri Utkin and entrepreneur Prigozhin. Its main business is to deploy mercenaries to conflict areas around the world. Wagner group participated in the Russo-Ukrainian War on the Russian side and took a leading role in the "Bucha Massacre,",a war crime committed by Russia in the Bucha region of Ukraine, in which civilians were cruelly massacred.

 

Development of Rebellion

On the evening» of June 23, Wagner group declared war. on the Russian Ministry of Defense and the rebellion began. They claimed that the Russian Federation Forces killed a number of mercenaries at the Wagner group's base with missiles, and that the rebellion is to condemn this attack and stop the tyranny of the military. The very next day, on the 24, at 7:00 AM, they quickly occupied Rostov, a large city south of Moscow, and Vronesh and Lipetsk Oblasts at 6:00 PM. In the midst of their advance, they were caught trying to steal the nuclear backpack. The Russian government regarded these as actions of armed rebellion and prepared for Wagner group's advance by gathering Russian troops around Moscow. Through a TV speech, Putin announced with strong condemnation that he would punish traitors. However, at around 8:00 PM, 200 kilometers away from Moscow, Prigozhin withdrew the rebels with the help of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Prigozhin agreed to the withdrawal of troops under the conditions of canceling criminal charges against Prigozhin by Russia, exile to Belarus, and guaranteeing the safety of Wagner group's soldiers. However, on August 23, Prigozhin and Utkin died in a plane crash over Russia. Western Leaders claim that it is almost certain Putin is behind the crash.

 

Speculations about the Rebellion

Prigozhin's ambition, which ended in just one day, aroused people's curiosity rather than shock. People wondered what the reasons were for the impulsive rebellion. Although Prigozhin nominally put forward a "march of justice" to oust the incompetent military leadership, in fact, it is speculated that the direct cause was a factional fight with the military over power. In March 2022, the Wagner group achieved great results in the Battle of Bakhmut and received a lot of support from Putin. However, due to Prigozhin's claims of intentional supply shortages, the Russian military's checks on power also intensified. There was even an incident in which the Russian army planted mines in the mercenaries’ retreat route, causing damage to the mercenaries of the Wagner group. And the Russian Ministry of Defense demanded from Prigozhin a unilateral annexation of Wagner group. In this power struggle, Putin chose the Ministry of Defense instead of Prigozhin.

War Crimes of the Wagner Group

The Wagner group was a criminal group that caused numerous problems long before the rebellion. Dmitry Utkin, who founded the group with Prigozhin, did not even try to hide his neo-Nazi tendencies, and committed numerous war crimes as if he wanted to follow the footsteps of Hitler. Wagner group accumulated wealth in return for lending unreasonable violence from dictators and rebels in Africa or the Middle East, and they were at the forefront of Russia's war crime, the "Bucha Massacre," which was condemned worldwide. They were a military force made up of Russian criminals from political and business ties with Putin. In any case, Wagner group waged war using prisoners as meat shields, and even recruited child soldiers. They behead, torture and humiliate their captives and proudly post their actions on social media. The vicious behavior of the Wagner group made many enemies not only from people's criticism, but also from within the country, which made Putin begin to turn his back.

 

The rebellion of Prigozhin, which ended in just one day, shows how chaotic the situation in Russia is during this war. The appearance of Russia allowing the occupation of the capital in just one day showed that Russia's internal situation was weak due to the war. Prigozhin, who was unprepared enough to give up the rebellion in one day, showed how recklessly he had managed the mercenaries and did not care about the lives of those who were sacrificed. Only the good citizens of Russia, the people of Ukraine, and the victims all over the world, who suffer in between, shed tears of blood at this meaningless game of power.



 

Reporter,

Dongwoo Kim rlaehddn4012@seoultech.ac.kr

Reporter 김동우

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• e-mail : rlaehddn4012@seoultech.ac.kr