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U.S. spies learned in mid-June Prigozhin was planning armed action in Russia
[WaPo] U.S. spy agencies picked up intelligence in mid-June indicating Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin was planning armed action against the Russian defense establishment — which he has long accused of bungling the war in Ukraine — and urgently informed the White House and other government agencies so they were not caught off guard, several U.S. officials said Saturday.The exact nature and timing of Prigozhin’s plans were not clear until shortly before his stunning takeover of a military command and tank run toward Moscow on Friday and Saturday, officials said. But "there were enough signals to be able to tell the leadership ... that something was up," said one U.S. official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. "So I think they were ready for it." Over the past two weeks there was "high concern" about what might transpire — whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would remain in power and what any instability might mean for control of Russia’s nuclear arsenal, the official said. "There were lots of questions along those lines," this person said. The instability that might result from a Russian "civil war" was the key fear, officials said. In addition to the White House, senior officials at the Pentagon, State Department and in Congress were briefed within the past two weeks on the intelligence, officials said. CNN earlier reported that officials had briefed congressional leaders this past week. A key trigger for Prigozhin, officials said, was a June 10 Russian Defense Ministry order that all volunteer detachments would have to sign contracts with the government. Though the order did not mention Wagner Group by name, the implication was clear: a takeover of Prigozhin’s mercenary troops, who have proved essential to Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine and have helped secure some of its most notable tactical victories. Ukrainian military officials also were watching Prigozhin after the June 10 announcement and increasingly believed that he might mobilize his forces against Moscow, said a senior Ukrainian official. Prigozhin had publicly protested the Defense Ministry’s order, and Ukrainian officials took seriously the possibility that he might move against Russian positions, this person said. But the timing of a move was unclear, the Ukrainian official said, adding that he was not aware of the U.S. sharing its intelligence with Kyiv on a possible march by Prigozhin and his forces. Seems the only officials surprised were in the Kremlin. Posted by: Enver Slager8035 2023-06-26 |
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