U.S. State Department Spokesperson: Wagner Rebellion Was a 'New Moment' in Russia's War Against Ukraine

Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, described the developments in Russia on Saturday as very significant and a 'new moment.' In a press conference on Monday, July 5, Miller recalled that 16 months ago, Russia claimed its forces would soon seize Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, but 'on Saturday we saw Russian forces occupy a Ministry of Defense building in a Russian city, on Russian soil.' Miller believes that predicting the future in Russia and the impact of this event on Russian operations in Ukraine is difficult. The State Department spokesperson noted that 'wherever Wagner has been, it has left death and destruction' and expressed the same view regarding the fate or activities of that group outside of Russia, such as in Syria and Africa. Matthew Miller stated that on Saturday, various officials at the U.S. State Department, both in Washington and Moscow, were in contact with relevant officials in Moscow. According to the State Department spokesperson, Washington had two messages: 1. 'We expect Russia to ensure the security of the U.S. embassy and diplomats,' 2. 'The Biden administration considers the development an internal matter and has not intervened and will not intervene.' Miller emphasized that 'the United States does not take a position on the leadership of the Russian Federation and its Ministry of Defense. Our policy has always been regarding the actions that Russia has taken.' Mr. Miller's reference to 'the occupation of a neighboring country' and 'other malign interventions around the world' was noted. Miller also expressed ignorance about the situation of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner group, or the positions of Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Minister of Defense, and Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army. After a long period of criticism of the Russian Ministry of Defense and under the pretext of the Russian army's attack on Wagner forces, Yevgeny Prigozhin, commander of the Russian mercenary paramilitary group, announced operations against the army on Friday night, June 2. They advanced towards Moscow and reached up to 200 kilometers from the city. At the same time, the Russian Federal Security Service opened a new case against Prigozhin for armed rebellion. On Saturday, Vladimir Putin called for unity in a speech, after which Prigozhin announced that his forces would not advance. Early Sunday, June 4, Russian media reported that Prigozhin would go to Belarus and that Wagner forces would be immune from treason charges.