Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin defended his “march on Moscow” with a convoy of tanks, saying the move was not an attempted coup and was conducted as a protest against Russia’s military leadership.
On Monday he called the move a reaction to an attack on his forces that killed about 30 fighters in the first audio statement since the aborted armed rebellion he staged on Saturday.
“We started our march because of an injustice. We went to demonstrate our protest and not to overthrow power in the country,” Prigozhin said in an 11-minute audio message.
He did not offer any details as to where he was or what his future plans are.
Prigozhin said his fighters had the support of “happy” civilians in towns they went through as they advanced on Moscow.
“In Russian towns, civilians met us with Russian flags and the symbols of Wagner,” he said. “They were all happy when we passed through.” +++Russian media reported a criminal probe against Prigozhin continued, and some lawmakers called for his head.
Credit: Aljazeera.com
