The Russian Wagner paramilitary group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, rose up on Friday against the regular army and its militiamen took positions in various regions, confronting President Vladimir Putin with a serious crisis in the middle of the Ukraine conflict.
After weeks of escalating tension between the Wagner leader and Moscow, Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian army late Friday of shelling his group’s base camps and killing “a large number” of his men. He then calls to rise up against the Russian military command and affirms that he has 25,000 fighters, calling on “everyone who wants” to join them.
Despite ruling out that it is a “coup” and calling it a “march for justice”, the Russian security services (FBS) open a case against him for “calling for armed mutiny” and request his arrest.
Prigozhin assures in the early hours of Saturday that his troops have entered Russian territory and that he will go “to the end”.
He says his forces are ready to die for “the homeland” and to “liberate the Russian people” and that they have shot down a military helicopter.
Moscow, the Rostov region, neighboring Ukraine and Lipetsk (420 km south of the capital) announce reinforced security measures.
As of 0430 GMT, Prigozhin claims to have seized the Russian army’s headquarters in Rostov, a key hub for Russian military operations in Ukraine, and claims to have other military sites under control, including an airfield.
The government establishes a “regime of anti-terrorist operations” in Moscow and its region, which strengthens the powers of the security services.
In a televised speech, Putin accuses Prigozhin of having “betrayed” Russia by his “excessive ambitions” and promises “firm” measures against the “deadly threat” posed by Wagner’s armed rebellion. He admits to a “difficult” situation in Rostov but vows “not to allow” a “civil war” to break out in Russia.
The Russian army conducts “combat” operations in the Voronezh region, halfway between Moscow and Rostov.
Prigozhin responds to Putin’s speech: “The president is deeply mistaken. We are patriots. Nobody is going to give up,” he asserts.
The countries of the European Union, the United States and the Western powers of the G7 say they are closely monitoring the situation. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calls on “all parties to be responsible and protect civilians.”
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky considers that “Russia’s weakness is obvious” and assures that “Ukraine is capable of protecting Europe from the contamination of Russian evil and chaos.”
Putin speaks by phone with his Belarusian counterparts, Alexander Lukashenko, and Kazakh, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, allies of Moscow, to inform them of the situation.
Russian authorities announce that they are fighting a large fire at a fuel depot in Voronej, 550 km south of Moscow, where Wagner’s presence has been reported.
The government asks the population of the Lipetsk region, located between Voronej and Moscow, to stay at home.
The leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, announces that he will send his men to “areas of tension”. “We will do everything possible to preserve the unity of Russia,” he said.
Putin also talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, from whom he receives “full support”, according to the Kremlin.
Wagner’s fighters enter Lipetsk, local authorities announce, confirming Wagner’s advance towards Moscow.
Latvia reinforces the security of its borders and prohibits the entry of Russians into its territory.
The Kaluga region, 180 km south of Moscow, restricts movement. In Moscow, the mayor considers the situation “difficult” and declares Monday a holiday.
At night, Prigozhin announces that he has ordered his men to return to their camps, to avoid a bloodbath.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
