Prigozhin was going to capture Shoigu and Gerasimov in Rostov, but the FSB thwarted these plans
Prigozhin's "rebellion" did not go as planned due to information leak
WSJ: During an armed rebellion on Saturday, June 24, the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, intended to capture Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.
Source. This was reported by the American edition of The Wall Street Journal.
According to this version, the two military leaders were initially planned to be captured during a raid on Rostov-on-Don, but two days before the plan was implemented, the FSB somehow learned about it, the WSJ writes, citing Western intelligence.
According to the newspaper, Western intelligence agencies learned about Prigozhin's plans in advance from satellite images and intercepts of electronic communications.
According to WSJ sources, Prigozhin's plan could well have been implemented, and failed only after information about the plot leaked, forcing the Wagner founder to improvise.
According to the publication, after learning about this leak, Prigozhin was forced to act earlier than planned. This was one of the factors behind the failure of the coup.
The ease with which Wagner's forces occupied Rostov-on-Don, according to intelligence officials, indicates that individual commanders of regular Russian troops could have been involved in the plot. The NYT has previously reported similar information.
NYT sources say that Prigozhin may have informed General Sergei Surovikin of his plans, but they do not know whether the latter passed this information on to the FSB.
Russian authorities have denied these accusations against Surovikin today. However, the general has not been seen in public since Saturday. Pro-war bloggers point to rumors of his arrest, but do not confirm them.
Background. As a reminder, the former CIA director advised Prigozhin to stay away from open windows.
If you have read this article to the end, we hope that means it was useful for you.
We work to ensure that our journalistic and analytical work is of high quality, and we strive to perform it as competently as possible. This also requires financial independence. Support us for only UAH 196 per month.
Become a Mind subscriber for just USD 5 per month and support the development of independent business journalism!
You can unsubscribe at any time in your LIQPAY account or by sending us an email: [email protected]
