Background of events

On June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, made a series of posts on social media claiming that the Russian military had killed a huge amount of his mercenaries in a strike on a camp. The Russian government quickly denied Prigozhin's claims, and the Federal Security Service accused him of calling for an armed rebellion. The Federal Security Service urged Wagner fighters to stop the columns and detain their leader. 

On June 24, Wagner fighters deployed in the street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, a Russian city near the border with Ukraine. 

On the same day, the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that he had brokered a deal with mutinous Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin who had agreed to de-escalate the situation. Prigozhin said that he had ordered his fighters advancing on Moscow in convoy to turn around and return to their bases to avoid bloodshed. 

North Ossetia

On June 24, Sergey Menyaylo, the head of North Ossetia, called on the inhabitants of the region, who are fighting as part of the Wagner PMC, to disobey the orders of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of this military company.

He noted that many republic residents in the Wagner courageously fought at the front to defend the country. "But what Prigozhin is doing today is a crime against his own country! Crime against the people of Russia. The head of the PMC played too much; he believed too much in his own strength. He got so carried away that he decided it was possible to tear the country from the inside. We all understand what these games lead to. Our country has already gone through this," Menyaylo said.

He stressed that Prigozhin is trying to plunge Russia into a fratricidal civil war, hiding behind patriotic slogans, which is a betrayal of the interests of the Motherland, a betrayal of every citizen of Russia. "I urge our countrymen serving in the ranks of PMCs not to obey the criminal orders of Prigozhin! I ask the residents of North Ossetia to refrain from traveling outside the republic and not to succumb to provocations," the head of the region concluded.

Dagestan

Sergey Melikov, the head of Dagestan, appealed to fellow countrymen who serve in the Wagner PMC with an appeal not to support the treacherous actions of the company's leadership, which is committing a military mutiny.

"I know that among the fighters of the Wagner PMC, there are also Dagestanis who selflessly fought in Syria, participated in the battles for Bakhmut, and performed the most difficult tasks to defend the Motherland. And I want to call on our countrymen today not to turn from heroes into traitors," Colonel-General Melikov said.

Also, Melikov supported the appeal of President Vladimir Putin, who called the actions of the Wagner leadership a knife in the back of the country. "We have learned the lessons of the past well, and we will not allow a repetition of the scenario of the early 20th century. After all, we are talking about the most important thing, about what our brave guys give their lives for - the security of Russia and its inhabitants. Together we will protect our people. The unity of all the peoples of our great country has always been the main strength of Russia," the head of Dagestan said.

Separatist South Ossetia

Alan Gagloev, the de-facto President of the separatist South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region,  called on his compatriots who are part of the Wagner PMC not to support the illegal actions of the company's management.

"In connection with the events taking place in the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine and around it, I declare my full support for the actions of the President of the Russian Federation - Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin to suppress the armed rebellion by the head of the private military company Wagner Evgeny Prigogine. I call on all my compatriots who are part of the Wagner PMC not to succumb to provocations and not to provide any support for the illegal actions of their leadership," Gagloev said.

According to the de-facto President of South Ossetia, people must remain united and act to benefit the common future at this difficult time for Russia and its allies. "But what Prigozhin is doing today is a crime against his own country! Crime against the people of Russia. The head of the PMC played too much; he believed too much in his own strength. He got so carried away that he decided it was possible to tear the country from the inside. We all understand what these games lead to. Our country has already gone through this," Menyaylo said.

Separatist Abkhazia

Aslan Bzhania, the de-facto President of separatist Abkhazia, expressed his full support for the actions of the President of Russia, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Vladimir Putin, to establish law and order in connection with an attempted armed rebellion undertaken by the leadership of the Wagner PMC.

"I am convinced that thanks to the determination and wisdom of President Vladimir Putin, the events of recent days will be successfully resolved by the Constitution and laws of the Russian Federation," Bzhania said.

The Republic of Abkhazia, under any circumstances, will continue to fulfill its allied obligations to the Russian Federation, the de-facto president assured. "I call on all citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia, including those in the zone of the special military operation, not to succumb to provocations and not to take part in illegal actions," Bzhania said.