What happened on 23 June 2023 with Wagner?

What began as a feud between a private military company and Russia's defence establishment, and became an open challenge on 23 June 2023? On that day, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin declared that he would "stop" the Russian military leadership and called for a "march of justice".

Prigozhin claimed that his forces had been killed in airstrikes by Russian government forces. The defence ministry rejected the claims, saying they were "not true and are an information provocation".

The state responds

The response from the authorities came quickly. Prosecutor-General of Russia Igor Krasnov formally ordered Prigozhin's arrest on charges of calling for an "armed rebellion". Authorities urged Wagner personnel to refuse Prigozhin's "criminal and treacherous orders" and to detain him. The FSB opened a mutiny investigation into him.

Signs of heightened security appeared on the roads as well. BBC News Russian reported roadblocks on the M4 highway between Moscow and Voronezh, and said the FSB and other security services had been placed on high alert in Moscow Oblast.

A conflict months in the making

The events of 23 June marked the climax of a conflict between Wagner and the Ministry of Defence that had begun about six months earlier. Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch, had been leading Wagner's activities in Ukraine.

The uprising was short-lived. Prigozhin stood down the following day, 24 June, after reaching an agreement.

The wider picture

The turmoil came as Ukraine's counteroffensive was under way. On 22 June 2023, a day before Prigozhin's declaration, a bridge between southern Ukraine and Russian-occupied Crimea was reported damaged by a British-made Storm Shadow missile.

For Kyiv and its partners, the day offered a view of open division inside Russia's own security structures, even as the fighting in Ukraine continued.