On the eve of the Wagner mercenary group’s mutiny against Russian authorities, fighters and generals of the private militia contacted their loved ones and alerted them that they would stop communicating, and perhaps even be labeled as traitors, as shown by a correspondence between wives and sisters of Wagner members on instant messaging app Telegram.
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According to Russian website Sibir.Realii, relatives of Wagner members reported that the mercenaries contacted them to "bid farewell", with some saying that "tomorrow they would become enemies of the people," while others warned of some "motorized convoys in the Rostov area." These conversations and messages sparked a major uproar in the chat among the fighters' wives and sisters.
"Ladies, I'm shocked: My brother wrote that they are enemies of the state and bid farewell to me, saying that if I don't write tomorrow, then I'm dead," writes a user named Elvira. Another user in the chat reported similar things regarding her own brother.
Several group members requested to "remain calm" and await further updates. Some relatives of Wagner fighters acknowledged that while they are not admirers of Prigozhin, their support for the current Russian government is even weaker. Tatiana writes, "Although I have strong reservations about Prigozhin, it is simply too much to designate more of our guys as enemies of the state at this time."
"In my view, it's clear that our lives are a project to someone," Maria replies.
"Not even a project, but a show. Two people are fulfilling their ambitions, and we are suffering," Irina writes in response.