Prigozhin: "We Didn't March To Overthrow Russia's Leadership"

Head of the Wagner military group Yevgeney Prigozhin has apparently issued an 11mn23sec audio clip on Telegram outlining his view of the latest developments following his mutiny over the weekend. Wires reporting Prigozhin stating that "Wagner was bound to cease existence on 1 July," referring to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's 10 June order to dissolve private military contractors. States that "No-one [in Wagner] agreed to sign contracts with the defence ministry."

• Prigozhin: "We started our march due to injustice." Claims that "We showed not aggression, but we were hit by missiles and helicopters". Adds that "This was the trigger....We showed a master-class on how 24 Feb 2022 (launch of the Russian invasion of Ukraine) should have looked."
• Prigozhin: "We turned around to avoid spilling the blood or Russian soliders. We regret that we had to hit Russian aviation."
• Prigozhin: "The aim of the march was to avoid destruction of Wagner...We wanted to hold accountable those who made mistakes during [invasion of Ukraine]."
• Prigozhin: "We didn't march to overthrow Russia's leadership. The march showed serious security problems in Russia."
• On the question of whether the events of the weekend brings an eventual conclusion to fighting in Ukraine closer or pushes it further into the distance, it is too early to say at this juncture. Should the mutiny significantly hamper the ability of Wagner forces to work effectively with regular Russian military units it could allow for Ukraine to exploit any chinks in the defensive actions of Russia during their counteroffensive.