Title: Wagner Group Chief: Moscow's War in Ukraine Based on Lies

The head of the Russian private military group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, rejected the core Russian justifications for the invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, for the first time today, Friday. Prigozhin stated, "Nothing extraordinary was happening on February 24. The Ministry of Defense is trying to deceive the public and the president, telling us a story about a strange Ukrainian aggression and that Ukraine was planning to attack us along with NATO." He described the official narrative as a "beautiful story." He added, "There were reasons for the war. Even for Shoigu to be promoted to Marshal. And for him to receive a second Hero of Russia medal. The war was not waged to disarm Ukraine or to eliminate Nazism within it."