During their brief mutiny last month, Wagner Group mercenaries came perilously close to entering a Russian nuclear base to seize nuclear weapons that could fit in a knapsack to use as leverage, according to Ukraine's chief spymaster.
On June 24, while the insurgents' main force, commanded by Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and ostensibly en route to capture Russia's top military officials, advanced toward Moscow, a smaller group headed east toward a fortified army base.
Wagner Rebels Came Close to Russia's Nuclear Base
Kyrylo Budanov, the 37-year-old director of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate, stated that the mercenaries' objective was Voronezh-45. This heavily guarded facility allegedly houses tiny, backpack-sized nuclear weapons from the Soviet era, according to NY Post.
According to Budanov, the mutineers' plan to obtain nuclear weapons failed because "the doors to the storage area were locked, and they were unable to enter the technical section."
The Ukrainian official did not explain why Prigozhin's fighters abandoned the nuclear base without attempting to enter. A Kremlin-affiliated source with ties to the Russian military affirmed portions of Budanov's account, stating that Wagner fighters "managed to enter a zone of special interest, causing American concern because nuclear weapons are stored there."
According to a source in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin was so alarmed by the rebels' attempt to take nuclear explosives that President Vladimir Putin quickly agreed to a peace agreement with Prigozhin, brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
The agreement exempted the Wagner rebels from prosecution for treason and permitted them to join Russia's conventional army or follow their leader Prigozhin into exile in Belarus. It is uncertain what will happen to Prigozhin. Prigozhin returned to Russia on June 29 to meet with Putin to discuss the insurrection, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Lukashenko stated last week that he was not in Belarus.
The Wagner chief was also recently spotted in St. Petersburg, arriving at the local FSB office to retrieve his June-confiscated arsenal of weapons.
US officials questioned Budanov's unverified claims regarding Wagner fighters' detour to the Voronezh-45 base, insisting that Russia's nuclear arsenal was never jeopardized during the brief uprising.
During the coup attempt by Wagner's forces, a convoy of military vehicles was diverted east toward the Voronezh-45 nuclear base. Before the surveillance trace died, the mercenaries were approximately 60 miles from the nuclear storage site.
Per The Sun, Budanov claims Wagner arrived at the nuclear base intending to seize small Soviet-era nuclear devices. Small nuclear devices that can be transported in a backpack are stored at the site, which he described as "one of the most important storage facilities for these backpacks."
Budanov asserted that the mercenaries infiltrated the facility but were unable to access the Russian nuclear weapons because the storage entrances were locked.
Wagner Chief Allegedly Met Putin
US and Soviet troops were taught to deploy them behind enemy lines, but both countries resolved to cease using them in the 1990s; however, it is unclear whether Russia destroyed all the devices.
Budanov's allegation follows Moscow's assertion that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin met with the Russian leader days after the failed coup. The Russian dictator commanded the Wagner commander to assassinate the Ukrainian president and "bring back his skull."
Five days after Wagner's mercenaries brought Russia to the verge of civil war, Prigozhin's clandestine meeting occurred while he was supposed to be exiled. Putin is rumored to have praised the group's efforts in Ukraine less than a week after congratulating his troops on ending a "civil conflict."
Five days earlier, the mercenaries had captured Russia's war headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and fired down several aircraft as they approached Moscow from a distance of 120 miles.
Prigozhin himself stated that the insurrection was not intended to overthrow Putin, but rather to target his defense minister Sergei Shoigu and army commander Valery Gerasimov, whom he holds responsible for Ukraine's failures.
Following the enigma surrounding Prigozhin's whereabouts, news of the private meeting is revealed. Under an agreement mediated by Vlad's puppet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the billionaire warlord intended to go into exile in Belarus.
At least one army camp was established for 8,000 of Wagner's soldiers to follow him and establish a new base on NATO's frontier, but it was left unoccupied. And Lukashenko recanted his earlier claim that Prigozhin was in Minsk, stating that he believed Wagner's head was in St. Petersburg.
Air tracker sites indicate that his private jet has been crisscrossing Russia recently, amid rumors that a private agreement has been reached to enable him to remain.
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