The Wagner Group claims to have captured Russian cities, and Putin calls the leader a traitor – Dagsavisen

Rostov-on-Don is about 1,300km south of Moscow, and photos from the city show armed men outside public buildings.

Wagner Group commander Yevgeny Prigozhin claims his men control all military facilities in the city, including the headquarters of the Russian government forces and the airport. This has not been confirmed by others.

In a video message on Telegram, Prigozhin said that his soldiers would take Moscow if Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Defense Commander Valery Gerasimov did not come to Rostov-on-Don to meet him.

A Russian security source told Reuters on Saturday morning local time that Wagner soldiers also took control of all military facilities in the city of Voronezh, 500 km south of Moscow.

Nor has this been confirmed from other quarters.

You want to control management

Military bloggers reported on Saturday that Russian special forces entered the headquarters of the Wagner Group in St. Petersburg.

President Vladimir Putin made it clear in a televised address at the same time that he would not allow civil war in Russia and that the country’s government military was given sweeping powers to put down the rebellion.

Putin also called Prigozhin a traitor who misled the mercenaries under his command. He also called on the Russian people to stand together against the threat and said that anyone who put up armed resistance would be seen as a traitor.

– Putin said that I demand the cessation of these criminal actions.

– I will do everything to protect Russia and the country’s constitution, he added.

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threats

On Saturday night, Prigozhin issued several audio messages swearing that the 25,000 Wagner Group mercenaries would overthrow the Russian military leadership.

Moreover, he threatens that they will “crush every person” who tries to stop them and that they are ready to sacrifice their lives in the battle against the forces of the Russian government.

– We are dying for the Russian people, he says.

Prigozhin also claims that a Russian military helicopter was shot down by Wagner soldiers. This is not confirmed by other sources.

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Counter-terrorism measures

The Russian authorities took increased security measures in Moscow as a result of Prigozhin’s threats.

– In order to prevent possible acts of terrorism in Moscow and the Moscow region, an anti-terrorism regime has been introduced, according to an announcement by the Russian Anti-Terrorism Committee.

In the morning hours of Saturday, armored vehicles patrolled the streets of Moscow, and military vehicles were seen in the National Assembly.

According to NetBlocks, which monitors access to the world’s Internet, restrictions have also been imposed on this. Many Russian users were banned from using websites such as Google in the early hours of Saturday.

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Strong accusations

On Friday, Prigozhin blasted the leadership in Moscow, accusing them of, among other things, ordering attacks on his men. No such attacks have been confirmed.

Prigozhin also declared that his soldiers would “march for justice,” but stressed that they were not planning a coup.

The Russian Ministry of Defense responded that Prigozhin’s accusations “do not correspond to reality and constitute a media provocation.”

The Russian Security Service FSB has now opened a case against Prigozhin for incitement to armed insurrection. They urged Wagner’s soldiers to arrest him, according to a statement carried by Russian news agencies on Saturday evening.

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