June 24, as a rebel Yevgeny Prigozhin Wagner’s power after leaving Moscow, a convoy of military vehicles headed east toward a Russian military base believed to house nuclear weapons, Reuters reported after interviewing local residents and watching videos posted online.
However, only once Wagner fighters to reach rural areas, the monitoring system freezes – about 100 km from the nuclear power plant, Voronezh-45, Reuters said.
Operation and security of the Voronezh-45 nuclear facility is assigned to military unit number 14254, which is under the supervision of the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Russia. The organization is responsible for protecting Russia’s nuclear weapons. Information available on the website of the Ministry of Defense of Russia and publicly available documents confirm the existence of this facility. However, the information stored in Voronezh-45 is considered top secret. Russia has not officially acknowledged the presence of nuclear weapons at the site, and knowledge of their existence has come mainly through reports from foreign scientists.
In an interview with Reuters, the head of the Ukrainian army, Kyrylo Budanov, said Wagner militants arrived at a nuclear facility with the intention of purchasing Soviet-era mini-nuclear weapons to fuel their rebellion. According to Budanov, the only obstacle that prevented Wagner’s fighters from obtaining nuclear weapons was the closed doors of the nuclear storage facility. “The storage doors were closed and they didn’t enter the technology sector,” he said.
However, Western officials have maintained that Russia’s nuclear weapons were not at risk during the unrest.
Wagner’s leaders met with Putin after the coup, pledging loyalty
Meanwhile, the chief government spokesman revealed on Monday that just five days after the temporary attack, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner group, and his officers met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed their loyalty to the government. The meeting, which lasted three hours, took place on June 29 and included discussions about Wagner’s actions in Ukraine and the recent uprising.
During the meeting, the government officials presented their views on the situation and emphasized their unwavering support for Putin as the head of state and the supreme leader. They also said that they were ready to continue fighting for their country. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the meeting, and expressed the commitment of the authorities.
The fact that Putin met face-to-face with Prigozhin, whom he had previously denounced as a traitor during the uprising, is a major development. The case against Prigozhin for rebellion was dismissed. However, Prigozhin did not comment on the meeting, and his future is unknown. It is possible that they can still be charged for financial irregularities or other crimes, because the details of such negotiations are often unknown.
(With input from organizations)
However, only once Wagner fighters to reach rural areas, the monitoring system freezes – about 100 km from the nuclear power plant, Voronezh-45, Reuters said.
Operation and security of the Voronezh-45 nuclear facility is assigned to military unit number 14254, which is under the supervision of the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Russia. The organization is responsible for protecting Russia’s nuclear weapons. Information available on the website of the Ministry of Defense of Russia and publicly available documents confirm the existence of this facility. However, the information stored in Voronezh-45 is considered top secret. Russia has not officially acknowledged the presence of nuclear weapons at the site, and knowledge of their existence has come mainly through reports from foreign scientists.
In an interview with Reuters, the head of the Ukrainian army, Kyrylo Budanov, said Wagner militants arrived at a nuclear facility with the intention of purchasing Soviet-era mini-nuclear weapons to fuel their rebellion. According to Budanov, the only obstacle that prevented Wagner’s fighters from obtaining nuclear weapons was the closed doors of the nuclear storage facility. “The storage doors were closed and they didn’t enter the technology sector,” he said.
However, Western officials have maintained that Russia’s nuclear weapons were not at risk during the unrest.
Wagner’s leaders met with Putin after the coup, pledging loyalty
Meanwhile, the chief government spokesman revealed on Monday that just five days after the temporary attack, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner group, and his officers met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed their loyalty to the government. The meeting, which lasted three hours, took place on June 29 and included discussions about Wagner’s actions in Ukraine and the recent uprising.
During the meeting, the government officials presented their views on the situation and emphasized their unwavering support for Putin as the head of state and the supreme leader. They also said that they were ready to continue fighting for their country. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the meeting, and expressed the commitment of the authorities.
The fact that Putin met face-to-face with Prigozhin, whom he had previously denounced as a traitor during the uprising, is a major development. The case against Prigozhin for rebellion was dismissed. However, Prigozhin did not comment on the meeting, and his future is unknown. It is possible that they can still be charged for financial irregularities or other crimes, because the details of such negotiations are often unknown.
(With input from organizations)