Home BreakingIn the Russian city of Rostov, Wagner deploys tanks and his armed...

In the Russian city of Rostov, Wagner deploys tanks and his armed rebels

24.06.2023

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In the Russian city of Rostov, Wagner deploys tanks and his armed rebels

The howl of ambulance sirens and police vehicles tears through the air on Saturday in Rostov-on-Don, the Russian command’s strategic location for its operations in Ukraine, where the paramilitary group Wagner claims to have taken control of key sites .

At a major intersection in the city center, an armored vehicle equipped with a machine gun and a dozen men in fatigues wearing silver armbands are visible, reporters in the city reported.

Armored personnel carriers and tanks are parked in other parts of the city center, including outside a toy store and a circus, according to the same sources.

Passers-by stop to watch passing military vehicles, including transport trucks, and other gun-toting men, also with silver armbands, at rest.

Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed his troops took control of Russia’s main military command center for Ukrainian operations as well as an air base in the city, promising to overthrow Moscow’s top military leaders.

Evguéni Prigojine also claimed to be at the head of 25,000 fighters.

A port city just over 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, Rostov was founded in the 18th century and is home to Russia’s southern military command.

Unlike other major Russian cities further from the front lines, Rostov, which has just over a million inhabitants, has suffered the repercussions of the conflict in neighboring Ukraine.

One person was killed last March in a fire at an FSB building – the Russian intelligence service in charge of internal security – in Rostov. The region has also been the target in recent months of several drone attacks.

Regional Governor Vasily Golubev called on residents not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary? pointing out that any planned mass gathering in the city had been cancelled.

He also asked people not to use the M4 highway – the main road linking Moscow to southern Russia – because sections have been closed and large lines of cars have formed along it.

Municipal public transport is still operating but routes have been changed to avoid the city center, Golubev added.

“The situation that has arisen requires maximum concentration of efforts to maintain order,” he said on social media. “Law enforcement is doing whatever is necessary to keep people in our area safe.”