French intelligence knew of Wagner mutiny plans – l’Opinion

French security officials knew in advance about Wagner private military company chief Evgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny plans, the l’Opinion newspaper claimed on Wednesday. 

According to the outlet, the General Directorate of External Security of France (DGSE) has long monitored the activities of the Russian PMC because of its allegedly “anti-French” activities in Africa, including in the Central African Republic and Mali, which is why they were aware of Prigozhin’s plans before mid-June.  

L’Opinion’s sources also said that France had discovered Prigozhin’s plan even before it was known to the CIA, which also claims to have been aware of the move in advance. CIA Director William Burns previously stated that Prigozhin’s actions “did not come as a surprise” to Washington. 

The Wagner mutiny began on June 23, when Prigozhin accused the Russian military of launching a deadly missile strike on one of the group’s field camps. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the allegation, but Prigozhin vowed to march to Moscow and demand “justice.” The uprising was ultimately halted after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that a deal had been reached with the PMC after consultations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The group, along with Prigozhin, has since relocated to Belarus, where it has begun providing training to Belarusian troops and sharing its battlefield experience gained from the Ukraine conflict.