Russian intel most certainly did not know in advance - as is clear from the FSB’s actions. The KGB would have stymied Prigozhin before he even got to Rostov.
Instead, this action has shown Russia has no defense and is very, very weak — definitely not the image the FSB would want to show.
Russian intel most certainly did not know in advance - as is clear from the FSB’s actions.
The Russian military leaders have intel agents embedded to watch them. Most certainly they did know. The master planner is a retired FSB offcer, assuming he is really retired.
Yevgeny Prigozhin
Russia as reports say US spy agencies picked up signs of planned uprising days
Andrew Roth, Pjotr Sauer and agencies
Sun 25 Jun 2023 01.36 EDT
The Guardian UK
As US intelligence officials pinned down information that Prigozhin was preparing military action, they grew concerned about chaos in a country with a powerful nuclear arsenal, the Times reported.US spy agencies believe that Putin himself was informed that Prigozhin, once a close ally, was plotting his rebellion at least a day before it occurred, the Post reported.
US spy agencies believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed that Mr Prigozhin, once a close ally, was plotting his rebellion at least a day before it occurred, the Post reported.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/06/24/us-intelligence-prigozhin-putin/
U.S. spies learned in mid-June Prigozhin was plnning aremed action in Russia
By Ellen Nakashima and Shane Harris
Washington Post
Updated June 24, 2023 at 10:44 p.m. EDT
Published June 24, 203 at 9:09 p.m. EDT
[Excerpt]
U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Putin also was informed that Prighozin was plotting something. And though it is not clear precisel when he was told, it was "definitely more than 24 hours ago," the first U.S. official said.It remains unclear why Putin did not take action to thwart Prigozhin's takeover of the military command or his move on Moscow.
The original founder of Wagner was a GRU officer, Dmitri Utkin. Prigozhin said Utkin was the master planner of the March for Justice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PyQnjeJXtM&ab_channel=HistoryLegends
The Truth About Wagner's March on Moscow (Youtube)
one thing that left me wondering was the statement from Prigozhin the night of the insurrection our commander was behind the whole operation he's the best strategist in the world Dimitri Utkin.[...]
surprise surprise like we've seen in this video, I posted most of Wagner's commanders are also former officers of the GRU and this could explain why Prigozhin said our commander was behind the whole operation, he is the best strategist in the world, talking about the original Wagner Dmitry Utkin. And what do we know about him? Well Utkin served as the commander of the 700 Separate Special Detachment of the GRU.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitry_Utkin
Dmitry Valerievich Utkin; (born 11 June 1970) is a Ukrainian-born Russian army officer. He served as a special forces officer in the GRU, where he held the rank of lieutenant colonel. He is alleged to have founded the Wagner Group, with his own call-sign reportedly being Wagner. Utkin has received four Orders of Courage of Russia.