June 24, 2023 - Wagner head says group standing down

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin is “very afraid,” after Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said he was turning his fighters around from a march toward Moscow. 

Zelensky also said Putin's own actions were to blame for the situation facing him.

Recent developments in Russia, Zelensky said, show that “the bosses of Russia do not control anything,” adding that “it is happening on Russian territory, which is fully loaded with weapons.” 

“In one day, they lost several of their million-plus cities and showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs and anyone else how easy it is to capture Russian cities and, probably, arsenals with weapons,” Zelensky said. 

United States intelligence officials believe Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had been planning a major challenge to Russia’s military leadership for quite some time, three people familiar with the matter tell CNN — but it was unclear what the ultimate aim would be.

Intelligence officials briefed congressional leaders known as the Gang of Eight earlier this week concerning Wagner movements and equipment buildups near Russia, two of the people said.

US and Western intelligence officials saw signs Prigozhin was making preparations for such a move, including by massing weapons and ammunition, one western intelligence official and another person familiar with the intelligence said.

The official said they believe Prigozhin’s claims of an ammunition shortage for operations in Ukraine was deliberate deception, to help lay the groundwork for a potential military challenge to Russian leaders. 

A source familiar with the intelligence said “it all happened very quickly,” and it was difficult to discern how serious Prigozhin was about threatening the Russian military and where he would take his troops.

As CNN has previously reported, US officials were caught off guard by the speed with which the situation unfolded Friday night and escalated into Saturday, causing senior officials to cancel planned international trips and convene emergency meetings across the government. 

Update: This post has been updated with the latest information from sources.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin published a new audio recording Saturday claiming he was turning his forces around from a march toward Moscow. 

The announcement comes as the Belarusian government claimed President Alexander Lukashenko had reached a deal with Wagner boss to halt the march of his forces on Moscow. 

CNN has reached to Prigozhin's office for comment.

President Joe Biden and US allies on Saturday reaffirmed their “unwavering support for Ukraine” in a call with leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom about the unfolding situation in Russia between the military and Wagner private military company.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have all remained closely aligned with Biden over the course of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden has frequently spoken and met with the trio over the last year.

Biden was briefed on the unfolding situation Saturday morning, the White House said, in addition to Friday night.

Former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, accused Wagner of a "staged coup d'état," Russian state media RIA Novosti reported on Saturday. 

RIA Novosti said that according to Medvedev, the participation of foreigners in the current military rebellion was "quite probable.” 

The state-owned outlet said that Medvedev also dismissed Prigozhin’s allegation that the Russian Defense Ministry had ordered strikes against his fighters at a Wagner camp on Friday.

Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseev, Russian intelligence official, has also criticized Prighozhin's actions as "a coup d'état." Prigozhin has claimed that his forces crossed the border into Russia from Ukraine but denies that he is carrying out a "military coup."

"This is not a military coup, this is a march of justice. Our actions do not interfere with the troops in any way," Prigozhin said in an audio recording posted to Telegram Friday.  

The Russian investigative outlet Fontanka on Saturday reported that a van stacked with boxes with cash was found parked near what is alleged to be an office of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin at the Hotel Trezzini in St. Petersburg. 

According to Fontanka, the amount of cash uncovered in an apparent search by authorities totaled 4 billion rubles, or approximately $47 million.

Fontanka posted a photo on its Telegram channel of boxes on the ground next to a van watched over by a police officer. 

It is unclear who ordered the search, but Prigozhin confirmed media reports in an audio message on one of his Telegram channels, saying that money he kept in a van and two buses was allocated for salaries, as well as for the payment of so-called “Cargo 200” compensation for the families of slain fighters. 

Equipment of the Wagner private military company is moving across territory in the southern Russian region of Lipetsk, according to the region's governor, Igor Artamonov.

He said authorities are "taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population," adding that "the situation is under control" and that "there are no failures in the operation of critical infrastructure."

Artamonov spoke as geolocated video emerged of a small group of military vehicles, including two tanks on flat-bed trailers, in the Lipetsk region.

An unidentified military column consisting of five vehicles was spotted about 400 kilometers (approximately 249 miles) away from Moscow, in the village of Krasnoye in the region, according to social media video shared by local blogs.

CNN was able to verify the location of the video. It shows vehicles driving along a local road next to the railway tracks.

There is no independent verification that the small convoy is affiliated with Wagner.

The local administration in the city of Lipetsk said that the entrances to the region's capital city are blockaded in two directions, according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti on Saturday afternoon.

Artamonov implied that roads had been dug up by Wagner fighters, saying, “Traffic has been suspended on part of regional roads. In a number of sections, the roadbed was deliberately damaged — dug up by excavators.”

He said repairs would begin as soon as possible.

Social media video purportedly from Lipetsk showed a deep trench being dug by a backhoe tractor across one highway.

Lipetsk is the main city in the region of the same name, and it is about 470 kilometers (292 miles) south of Moscow.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed this morning on the latest developments in Russia and were joined by a number of national security officials, according to the White House.

"Participants included National Security Advisor Sullivan, Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, Chairman Milley, Director Haines, Director Burns, and Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. The President and Vice President will continue to be briefed throughout the day," according to a White House statement.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also continues to be briefed, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement on Saturday.

“Secretary Austin and the Department continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Russia. Secretary Austin will continue to be briefed on any significant developments,” Ryder said.

Russian authorities have offered amnesty to Wagner mercenaries who agree to discard their arms, a lawmaker from the State Duma told Russian state media TASS on Saturday.

"Of course, there is a chance to lay down arms and avoid punishment, and the President also talked about this," the head of the State Duma Committee on State Construction, Pavel Krasheninnikov, told TASS. 

Krasheninnikov added that Putin "spoke in a comprehensive manner," and said that it's key that this information gets through to them.