First of all let me say that I’m not crazy about The Telegraph as a source. But here we go anyway.
Daily Telegraph (UK) – Bias and Credibility
Russian security services threatened the families of the leaders of those leading the Wagner group’s mutiny against the Russian government, UK intelligence sources told The Telegraph.
The report offers a reason Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin may have called off the rebellion when his forces were bearing down on Moscow Saturday, having seized control of the city of Rostov-on-Don and other parts of southern Russia.
The report said that UK intelligence believes that Prigozhin had around 8,000 fighters under his command, a significantly lower number than the 25,000 he claimed to have.
I do however like the Moscow Times.
The Telegraph did not name the specific Wagner leaders whose families were allegedly threatened and it was not possible to independently verify the report’s claims.
Chechen leader and loyal Kremlin ally Ramzan Kadyrov had suggested Sunday that family business disputes may have in part influenced Prigozhin to launch his high-stakes standoff with the Russian military. “A chain of failed business deals created a lingering resentment in the businessman, which reached its peak when St. Petersburg’s authorities did not grant [Prigozhin’s] daughter a coveted land plot,” Kadyrov said.
The Telegraph cited its sources as saying that President Vladimir Putin “will now try to assimilate Wagner Group soldiers into the Russian military and take out its former leaders” following this weekend’s dramatic events.
The Associated Press reported that a Russian news channel on Telegram said Prigozhin had been spotted at a hotel in Minsk on Monday, while Russian media claimed a criminal investigation into his conduct is ongoing, the news agency said.
