Vladimir Putin's FSB employed mob tactics to halt coup leader's march on Moscow

26 June 2023 , 08:56

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Yevgeny Prigozhin was last seen in the southern Russian town of Rostov-on-Don (Image: AP)

Vladimir Putin's intelligence agent thugs employed mob tactics to force coup leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to back down as he marched on Moscow this weekend.

The Ministry of Defence has revealed that Russian FSB operatives threatened to hurt the families of the Wagner Company's top brass just moments before mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin called off his advance.

The MoD added that Prigozhin had vastly overestimated his fighting force, and had only 8,000 fighters rather than the 25,000 originally reported, meaning any attempt to conquer the Russian capital would have most likely failed.

Vladimir Putin talked tough during his public address in which he accused Prigozhin of treason (AP)

Though the Wagner Company is made up of far more skilled fighters in comparison to their Russian Armed Forces counterparts, they would be vastly outnumbered and crushed by the heaving state forces.

Putin, who issued a scathing public address in which he branded Prigozhin's move "treason", now plans to bring Wagner soldiers back into the fold of the main Russian Army.

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This would remove Prigozhin's power, allowing the Kremlin to target him directly, reports The Telegraph.

The main question that remains after Prigozhini called off his historic mutiny on Saturday is what made him back down after putting himself and his men in such danger.

Wagner group members in Rostov-on-Don (AFP via Getty Images)

It's suspected that some kind of formal deal was carved out.

On Saturday, the Kremlin said Prigozhin will be offered a pardon from treason if he follows Putin's orders - immediate exile in Belarus.

Social media savvy Prigozhin, who usually posts on his channels up to 12 times a day, has been uncharacteristically quiet in the days after the bungled coup, with his press team saying he was "missing and out of contact" over the weekend.

Prigozhin got a hero's welcome in Rostov-on-Don (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

He was last spotted taking selfies with fans as he got a hero's welcome before jumping in a car in Rostov-on-Don in Russia.

However, there is no indication as of yet he has arrived at Aleksandr Lukashenko's landlocked country, which borders Russia.

Prigozhin's representatives said in a statement that the father of three cannot be reached at the moment.

"He says 'hi' to everyone and will answer questions when he will get in touch normally," the representatives added.

A man holding the Russian flag in front of a Wagner Company tank (AFP via Getty Images)

His whereabouts are currently "unknown", according to Russian media.

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Prigozhin's final message was his instruction to his men to stand down to avoid bloodshed and end his fleeting rebellion.

The phrase was coined to encourage silence about Ukraine's counteroffensive, but the Wagner-affiliated account posted it only 24 hours after the failed coup.

And indeed, Prigozhin earlier looked unfazed at the failure of his armed march on Moscow yesterday as he returned to the Wagner base of operations at Rostov-on-Don.

Ryan Fahey