What signal is being released? Prosecutors: The criminal investigation for Prigo remains unresolved, and Shoigu's first appearance after the Wagner incident | Russia | Incident
A video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on the 26th showed that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected a frontline command post of the Western Group Army. This is Shoigu's first appearance after the Wagner Group incident, a mercenary organization.
On the same day, Russian prosecutors revealed that the criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigoren, the founder and commander of the Wagner Group, who was suspected of inciting armed rebellion, has not yet been concluded. The Wagner Group headquarters stated that everything is normal.
[Defense Chief Appearances to Signal?]
The Russian Ministry of Defense released a 47 second video via social media "Telegram" without any live sound, showing Shoigu and his colleagues flying to a frontline command post of the Western Russian Army Group in the Ukrainian combat area.
The video shows that Shaoyigu listened to the commander of the Western Group Army report on the current battlefield situation, studied the map, and took a helicopter to inspect the Russian military positions.
A press release from the Ministry of National Defense stated that Shoigu praised the Western Group Army for "efficiently discovering and destroying" Ukrainian military equipment and personnel assembly points. The press release did not mention the inspection time.
On the 24th, the Wagner Group announced the bloodless occupation of the headquarters of the Russian Southern Military Region located in Rostov, the capital of Rostov Oblast, on the Don River, which is the Special Military Operations Command Center for Ukraine. Prigorn demanded that the federal government hand over Shoigu and Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Grasimov. He has previously repeatedly accused the military of competing with the Wagner Group for credit and withholding ammunition supplies from the Wagner armed forces, with the blame directly on Shoigu and Grasimov.
On the evening of the 24th, Prigoren accepted the mediation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and agreed to stop the Wagner Group's operations within Russia and take further measures to ease tensions. The Wagner convoy stopped moving towards the capital Moscow and turned back to the field camp. The Kremlin guarantees that Prigoren can travel to Belarus and will revoke his criminal record. Wagner's troops completely withdrew from Rostov on the Don River late that night.
Since the Wagner incident, Grasimov has not yet made a public appearance. The Kremlin did not disclose any information about personnel changes in the Russian Ministry of Defense when introducing the agreement reached with Wagner. Some domestic public opinion in Russia speculates that President Vladimir Putin may make concessions to Prime Minister Primo and agree to restructure the military leadership.
Some Russian military bloggers have expressed doubts about the timing of the video of the Shoigu inspection, believing it was before the Wagner incident. However, Sergei Markov, director of the Russian Institute of Political Studies and a former Kremlin adviser with close ties to the government, said the Defense Ministry video was a signal to everyone: "Shoigu is still in power and is likely to continue to serve as defense minister."
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Russian media outlets such as Sputnik, Interfax, TASS, and Businessman reported on the 26th, citing sources, that the criminal investigation of Prigoren by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office has not yet ended.
Sources from the Russian Federation General Procuratorate told the Sputnik News Agency that the Russian Federal Security Service launched a criminal investigation on Prigo's suspected incitement to armed rebellion on the 23rd. A Federal Security Agency source told media reporters on the 26th that due to the short time frame, it is not enough to close the case.
According to Russian media reports, investigators conducted a surprise search on the headquarters of the Wagner Group located in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, on the 24th. However, Wagner Group headquarters said in a statement on the 26th, "Despite some incidents, the group center continues to operate in normal mode in accordance with Russian federal law."
The statement stated that the Wagner Group "works for the future of Russia" and expressed gratitude to its supporters.
TASS reported that the Wagner Group continues to recruit armed personnel in Novosibirsk and Akira in the Siberian region. A Wagner employee based in Novosibirsk said, "Recruitment continues."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Russian television today that the Wagner incident will not affect Russia's relations with relevant African countries. Wagner Group will continue its operations in Mali and the Central African Republic, with Wagner employees serving as instructors there. "Of course, this work will continue.".
Lavrov said that US Ambassador to Russia Lynn Tracy told the Russian side on the 25th that the US has nothing to do with the Wagner incident and hopes that Russia's nuclear weapons are well preserved and that the safety of US diplomats in Russia is guaranteed. According to Lavrov, the US emphasizes that everything related to the Wagner incident belongs to Russia's internal affairs.
On the 26th, Prigoren released an 11 minute audio clip, stating that the Wagner convoy was marching towards Moscow to "protest," not to overthrow the government.
