Wagner mercenaries reach Russian nuclear base during mutiny – intel chief Budanov

The relevant statement was made by Reuters, referring to an interview with Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate at the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

In particular, as rebellious Wagner forces drove north toward Moscow on June 24, a contingent of military vehicles diverted east on a highway in the direction of a fortified Russian army base that holds nuclear weapons, according to videos posted online and interviews with local residents.

About 100 kilometers from the nuclear base, Voronezh-45, the surveillance trail goes cold.

In an exclusive interview, Budanov noted that the Wagner fighters had gone far further, reached the nuclear base, and their intention was to acquire small Soviet-era nuclear devices in order to “raise the stakes” in their mutiny.

“Because if you are prepared to fight until the last man standing, this is one of the facilities that significantly raises the stakes,” Budanov explained.

The only barrier between the Wagner fighters and nuclear weapons, according to Budanov, were the doors to the nuclear storage facility.

“The doors of the storage were closed and they didn’t get into the technical section,” he said.

The mercenaries subsequently withdrew for unclear reasons.

A source close to the Kremlin with military ties corroborated parts of Budanov’s account, Reuters mentioned. A Wagner contingent “managed to get into a zone of special interest, as a result of which the Americans got agitated because nuclear munitions are stored there,” this person said.

This allegedly caused concern in the Kremlin and provided impetus for a hastily negotiated end to the rebellion on the evening of June 24, brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Photo: Main Intelligence Directorate at the Ukrainian Defense Ministry