Wagner: Armed rebellion: Wagner fighters come closest to acquiring Russian nuclear weapons? – times of India

as Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Rebel on June 24 wagner force Moving towards Moscow, a group of military vehicles turned east towards a fortified Russian army base believed to have nuclear weapons, according to Reuters interviews with local residents and posted online Reported through video.
However, once wagner fighter Reuters said that after reaching more rural areas, the trail of surveillance turns colder – about 100 km from the nuclear base, Voronezh-45.
Operation and security of the nuclear facility Voronezh-45 is assigned to military unit number 14254, which falls under the 12th Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense. This directorate is responsible for the security of Russia’s nuclear weapons stockpile. Information available from the Russian Ministry of Defense website and publicly accessible records confirms the existence of the facility. However, the specific material stored at Voronezh-45 is considered a highly classified secret. Russia has not officially acknowledged the presence of nuclear weapons at the facility, and knowledge of their existence has emerged primarily through reports from foreign scientists.
In an interview with Reuters, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kirill Budanov, claimed that wagner The fighters arrive at the nuclear base, intending to acquire Soviet-era miniaturized nuclear devices to fuel their insurgency. According to Budanov, the only obstacle preventing the Wagner fighters from accessing the nuclear weapons were the locked doors of the nuclear storage facility. “The doors of the store were closed and they did not reach the technical section,” he said.
However, Western officials have said that Russia’s nuclear arsenal was never threatened during the uprising.
Wagner commanders meet Putin after mutiny, pledge loyalty
Meanwhile, a senior government spokesman revealed on Monday that just five days after a brief mutiny, Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of a mercenary group known as Wagner, and his commanders met Russian President Vladimir Putin and met with the government. Expressed loyalty. The meeting, which lasted three hours, took place on 29 June and discussed Wagner’s actions in Ukraine and the recent uprising.
During the meeting, the commanders presented their perspective on the events and emphasized their unwavering support for Putin as head of state and commander-in-chief. He also reiterated his readiness to continue fighting for his motherland. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the meeting, highlighting the commanders’ commitment to the government.
The fact that Putin held a face-to-face meeting with Prigozhin, whom he had initially condemned as a traitor during the uprising, is a significant development. The criminal case against Prigozhin for insurrection was later dropped. However, Prigozhin has not commented on the meeting and his future remains uncertain. It is possible that he could still face prosecution for financial misconduct or other charges, as the details of such negotiations often remain unknown.
(with inputs from agencies)