Roadblocks on the M4 as Wagner uprising began
A look back at the first reports of security measures south of Moscow as the Wagner Group's uprising got under way.
What did the first signs of the Wagner Group's uprising look like outside Moscow? On 23 June 2023, BBC News Russian reported roadblocks on the M4 highway between Moscow and Voronezh. It also reported that the FSB and other security services had been placed on high alert in Moscow Oblast.
The reports came as the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, staged an uprising against the Russian government that day. The rebellion marked the climax of a conflict between Wagner and the Ministry of Defense that had begun about six months earlier. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch who had been leading Wagner Group activities in Ukraine, headed the revolt.
The uprising was short-lived. Prigozhin stood down a day later, on 24 June 2023, after reaching an agreement.
The M4 roadblocks and the alert in Moscow Oblast were among the earliest reported signs on 23 June 2023 of how the events were affecting areas around the Russian capital.
