President Vladimir Putin vowed on Saturday to defend Russia against an armed rebellion head mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhinwho led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key city south of Moscow.
Meanwhile, the governor of Russia’s Lipetsk province said on Saturday that Prigozhin’s Wagner’s mercenary group has entered the region, which is about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow, where authorities “are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population,” regional governor Igor Artamonov said, in through Telegram.
Moscow set up checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops in the far south on Saturday, Red Square was closed and the mayor urged motorists to stay off some roads as the Russian capital prepared for the ‘arrival of a private army led by a rebel mercenary commander.
The uprising, which Putin called “a stab in the back”, was the biggest threat to his leadership in more than two decades in power.
The private army led by Prigozhin appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (more than 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow that directs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence briefing.
In his speech, Putin called the uprising by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, “betrayal” and “betrayal.”
“All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment,” Putin said. “The armed forces and other government agencies have been given the necessary orders.”
Prigozhin called himself a patriot and said his fighters would not surrender, as “we do not want the country to continue to live on corruption, deception and bureaucracy.”
“On treason to the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our motherland,” he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel.
Russian Presidential Press Service via AP
He said his fighters would not surrender at Putin’s request as “we do not want the country to continue living in corruption, deception and bureaucracy”.
by Prigozhin Wagner, a private mercenary army, has been fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. It was not immediately clear what their goals were, but the rebellion marks an escalation in Prigozhin’s fight with Russian military leaders, whom he has accused of botching the Ukraine war and disrupting his forces in the countryside.
“This is not a military coup, but a march for justice,” Prigozhin said.
Prigozhin confirmed on Saturday that he and his troops arrived in Rostov-on-Don after crossing the border from Ukraine. Photos from the Reuters news agency and videos posted on social media showed Wagner’s troops, tanks and other military vehicles on city streets.
STRINGER / REUTERS
Prigozhin posted a video of himself at the Russian military headquarters in Rostov and claimed that his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. According to CBS News correspondent Ian Lee, there are reports that Wagner’s troops have seized a second city halfway to Moscow, but he did not specify which city it was.
Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from the young recruits when they crossed into Russia, saying his troops “do not fight children”.
“But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way,” he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media starting Friday night. “We are moving forward and we will go all the way.”
Putin condemned the rebellion, which comes at a time when Russia is “fighting the toughest battle for its future” as Western governments impose sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine.
“The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is fighting against us,” Putin said.
Russia’s security services called for Prigozhin’s arrest after he declared an armed rebellion on Friday. The Kremlin also beefed up security at key facilities across the country overnight. Moscow woke up to a state of emergency and Putin has ordered anti-terror measures in several regions, giving law enforcement broad legal powers.
It was not immediately clear how Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him.
Prigozhin said his aim was to punish Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after Russian government forces attacked Wagner’s field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery.
General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks after a meeting with Shoigu in which they decided to destroy Wagner, Prigozhin said. He said Wagner’s forces shot down a Russian military helicopter firing on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation.
Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance.
Prigozhin, 62, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin contracts that earned him the nickname “Putin’s Chef.”
He drew attention in the United States when he and a dozen Russian citizens and three Russian companies were accused of operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trump’s presidential election victory in 2016. Formed the Wagner’s mercenary groupwhich sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and finally Ukraine.
After Putin’s speech, in which the Russian leader did not mention specific steps to quell the rebellion but instead called for unity in the face of the revolt, the country’s officials and state media figures sought to publicly reiterate their loyalty to the Kremlin and they urged Prigozhin to back down.
Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, said Duma lawmakers “advocate the consolidation of forces” and support Putin, adding that “Wagner’s fighters they must make the only right choice: to stand with their people. on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the Commander-in-Chief.”
Prigozhin press service via AP
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed Volodin’s sentiment, saying in a Telegram post that “we have one commander-in-chief. Not two, not three. One.”
Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechen region who used to stand by Prigozhin in his criticism of the military leadership, also expressed his full support for “every word of” Putin.
“We have the commander-in-chief, elected by the people, who knows the situation to the smallest detail better than any strategist and businessman,” Kadyrov said. “The riot must be suppressed.”
While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hamper Moscow’s war effort, as Kiev forces were probing Russian defenses in the early stages of a counter-offensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin prevails, could also have repercussions for Putin and his ability to maintain a united front.
Wagner’s forces have played a crucial role in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized Russia’s military brass, accusing them of incompetence and of starving their troops of weapons and ammunition.
Heavy military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in various parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers carrying assault rifles were deployed outside the main Defense Ministry building. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked off, snarling traffic.
But even with the increased military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled with customers. In a club near FSB headquarters, people were dancing in the street near the entrance.
STRINGER / REUTERS
Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with the requirement that military contractors sign contracts with the ministry by July 1. In a statement on Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise, but “they have done so treacherously”. he has deceived us.”
“Today they made a rocket attack on our rear camps and a large number of our comrades were killed,” Prigozhin said. The Ministry of Defense denied attacking Wagner’s fields.
“The evil embodied by the country’s military leadership must be stopped,” he shouted.
Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the group of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, urged Wagner’s forces to stop any moves against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russia’s enemies, who “are waiting to see the exacerbation of our internal political situation”.
In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said “the violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to Putin’s perceived power stability.”
At the White House, National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said: “We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments.”
STRINGER / REUTERS
