Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation and promised to stop the alleged armed rebellion organized by the Wagner group leader.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to take “decisive actions” Saturday to halt what he described as a treasonous, armed rebellion by the head of the Wagner mercenary group, whose seasoned fighters are advancing toward Moscow as part of an apparent insurrection that threatens to end Putin’s 24-year rule.
Putin made the comments in a televised address after Yevgeny Prigozhin vowed to “go all the way” to Moscow to topple Russia’s military leadership.
“We still don’t know what mechanisms may arise, but the writing is on the wall. Going after Prigozhin is a finger in the dike. The bigger picture is the end of Putinism,” said Kurt Volker, a former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine.
The Wagner group is a private military army that’s been fighting alongside Russia’s regular army in Ukraine, but tensions over how the war has been fought have been building for months.
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