CNN: Russian security services possibly knew about Wagner rebellion in advance

Russian security services or military cadres may have had prior knowledge of the Wagner Group armed insurrection, CNN reported on June 28, citing a European intelligence official.

"They might have known and might have not told about it, and known and decided to help it succeed. There are some hints. There might have been prior knowledge," CNN's source claimed.

"What happened made Putin lose his prestige. If that is what factions wanted, then that is what they got."

The New York Times reported earlier on June 28 that a Russian general knew in advance about the planned insurrection, indicating this officer may have been Sergei Surovikin.

Putin claims Wagner militants were fully funded by state

The state fully financed Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 27. Putin said the mercenary outfit allegedly received over 86 billion rubles ($1 billion) from the state’s budget between May 2022 and May 2023.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

According to the Institute for the Study of War, the rebellion highlighted weaknesses in Putin's leadership and exposed how unprepared Russia's defense ministry is for an attack.

The Wagner Group's founder launched an armed rebellion against the Russian government on June 23. His mercenaries occupied the city of Rostov and marched on Moscow, only to abruptly end the insurrection on June 24.

After a deal between the Kremlin and Prigozhin, allegedly brokered by Belarus's dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko, Russian officials said that the Wagner founder and its contractors would be allowed to leave for Belarus.