Meanwhile, Wagner Group fighters who did not take part in the uprising will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry.
The Kremlin claims they were prepared
The Kremlin also reported that the armed uprising had forced it to mobilize its forces and prepare defenses when Prigozhin sent the convoy of armed troops toward Moscow.
Officials claim they “dug anti-tank ditches into federal highways, erected machine-gun emplacements at the city limits, and deployed infantry fighting vehicles on the streets of Moscow.” None of these claims can be verified.
As the mercenaries’ convoy headed towards the capital, Moscow residents were urged by the city’s mayor to stay at home. Sergei Sobyanin announced that Monday would be a “non-working day” in order to “minimize risks”.
Prigozhin, the Putin ally who had amassed power and influence as the Wagner paramilitary group boss, had declared war in a social media post.
He claimed he was declaring war on the Russian Ministry of Defense. And the Wagner troops marched unopposed into the southern city of Rostov-on-Don in what he called a “march of justice”.
