CIA Director: The United States knew in advance that Wagner would launch a "rebellion". CIA | Belarus | On the side | Prigoren | Know | United States | Wagner | Rebellion
The Director of the CIA revealed on July 20th that the United States was already aware of the incident before Wagner launched the rebellion, so it was not surprising.
According to TASS on July 21, CIA Director William Burns stated at a security meeting held at the Apens Institute on July 20 that the United States had prior knowledge that Wagner Group founder Prigoren was preparing to launch a "rebellion.".
When asked if the US intelligence agency had any information about Prigoren's plan to launch a "rebellion," Burns said, "The President said it succinctly, we knew it beforehand. I don't want to reveal more detailed information than that." However, he also said that it's not surprising that Prigoren "decided to take action.".
Earlier, US President Biden was asked in an interview with Microsoft National Broadcasting Corporation if he had prior knowledge of Wagner's rebellion, but his answer was vague and intermittent. He first said, "I can't say that," and then said, "We knew beforehand," making it difficult to clarify the true meaning of his answer. Previously, CNN reported that the US intelligence agency had prior knowledge of Prigoren's action plan.
It has been almost a month since Wagner launched a rebellion on June 24th. Recently, Wagner Group released a video on social media, in which Prigoren appeared for the first time after a suspected "rebellion" and gave a speech to Wagner soldiers arriving in Belarus, stating that Wagner would temporarily stay in Belarus and may consider returning to the Ukrainian front line "when he is confident that he will not embarrass himself and his experience.". According to reports from the Belarusian side, Wagner and the Belarusian army conducted joint training on the border between Poland and Belarus, and the Polish side stated that they will "continue to monitor the situation".