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1 1 (June 28, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govembs0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional ____ ~ ~Research Service Wagner Group Mutiny in Russia June 28, 2023 On Friday, June 23, 2023, Russia's Wagner Group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin launched the most serious threat yet to Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule. The mutiny followed worsening tensions between Prigozhin and the Ministry of Defense (MoD), specifically Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. Prigozhin accused the military leadership in a video of fabricating the pretext for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and killing troops unnecessarily- including attacking Wagner units. Some observers speculate Prigozhin's video and the subsequent escalation was initially an attempt to preempt the demand that all volunteer formations sign contracts with the Russian MoD, effectively ending the Wagner Group's autonomy. Russian authorities issued an arrest warrant for incitement to armed rebellion for Prigozhin shortly after midnight on Saturday, June 24, 2023. The Wagner Group The Wagner Group is a quasi-private company that had been under Russian government oversight and played a key role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. Departments of State and the Treasury have designated the Wagner Group for sanctions under multiple executive orders. In January 2023, the Biden Administration designated Wagner a Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO). See also CRS In Focus IF12344, Russia's Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), by Andrew S. Bowen, and CRS In Focus IFl2389, Russia's Wagner Group in Africa: Issues for Congress, coordinated by Alexis Arieff. By early morning on Saturday, June 24, Prigozhin and his forces had seized control of the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don and soon pushed toward Moscow, reportedly making it to several hundred miles outside the capital. Prigozhin claimed his actions were against not President Putin but the corrupt military leadership. President Putin released an address to the nation on Saturday promising to crush those responsible, but Russian military and security forces appeared unwilling or unable to coordinate an effective response on the ground. Wagner forces shot down attacking Russian Aerospace Forces fighters and helicopters. On Saturday evening, Prigozhin and the Kremlin announced what they called a deal in which the column of advancing Wagner troops stood down in return for amnesty, with Prigozhin and Wagner fighters reportedly being allowed to go to Belarus. Russian Intelligence and Security Service Response It is unclear whether Russian intelligence, specifically the Federal Security Service (FSB), detected the plot or failed to accurately assess and brief policymakers on the danger. It is possible Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12186 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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