US briefed on Wagner forces days before rebellion started

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, looks out from a military vehicle on a street in Rostov-on-Don (AP)

US congressional leaders were reportedly briefed on a build-up of Wagner forces days before their commander claimed the attacks which sparked their rebellion against Russia took place.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said his mercenary unit’s camps in Ukraine had been attacked by rival forces from the Russian military on Friday, leading to them taking over the strategic city of Rostov-on-Don and marching towards Moscow before a deal was agreed for them to withdraw.