Thread by @reporter_polina

we published an important Exclusive. a part of Wagner vehicles went on June 24 toward a Russian nuclear base. Ukraine's Kyrylo Budanov said to Reuters the Wagner fighters even reached the facility. 1/7
@ChristianLowe4 @saitomri @zverev_live @m_tsvetkova
reuters.com/world/europe/w…

A source close to the Kremlin corroborated parts of Budanov's account saying “the Americans got agitated”. A source in Russian occupied east Ukraine said this caused concern in the Kremlin and provided impetus for a hastily negotiated end to the rebellion.2/7

White House National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said, "We are not able to corroborate this report. We had no indication at any point that nuclear weapons or materials were at risk." 3/7

Experts in nuclear weapons agreed that Wagner may have had thousands of troops at its disposal, but it's unlikely any of them knew how to detonate a bomb. 4/7

we followed the Wagners' progress to the town of Talovaya, ≈ 100 km from the nuclear base. A video shared by a local shows a column of military vehicles moving through the outskirts. A second video, provided by another resident, showed at least 75, mostly military, vehicles 5/7

Some Russian units that stood in their path or were instructed to intercept rebellion did nothing, according to five sources. One said two Russian military formations around the south-west of the country received orders to resist Wagner but they did not act on the command. 6/7

there is evidence that the Russian military undertook drastic measures to block off another potential access route to Voronezh-45. The E-38 road branches off the M-4 highway near Rogachevka. On the evening of June 24, local residents reported hearing explosions. 7/7