Intelligence officials were conducting detailed briefings at the White House, the Pentagon, and on Capitol Hill about the potential for unrest in Russia a full 24-hours before Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin launched the ultimately failed march on Moscow, two newspaper outlets have claimed.
The Washington Post and New York Times were the two sources of the same claim, built on the fear a major nuclear-armed rival of the United States could descend into chaos.
Spy agencies first began tracking indications that Prigozhin and his renegade Wagner mercenary force intended to move against the Russian military leadership in mid-June, the Post set out.
Meanwhile the Times alleged the assertion of prior knowledge in Washington, DC, was both solid and alarming by mid-week, leading to the flurry of briefings at the very highest level of the Biden administration.
As U.S. intelligence officials pinned down information that Prigozhin was preparing military action, the outlet reported they grew concerned about chaos in a country with a powerful nuclear arsenal.
Members of the Wagner Group prepare to depart from the Southern Military District’s headquarters and return to their base on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. (Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty)
U.S. spy agencies believe Vladimir Putin was personally informed that Prigozhin, once a close ally, was plotting his rebellion at least a day before it occurred, the Post reported.
The information shows the U.S. was aware of impending events in Russia, similar to how intelligence agencies had warned in late 2021 the Russian leader was planning to send his forces into Ukraine.