Russia: Wagner Group takes 'control' of Rostov-on-Don military facilities

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a representative of the Wagner Group, claimed on Saturday (June 24) that their mercenaries have taken control of “all military facilities” in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.

Prigozhin has threatened to march into Moscow and conduct a coup and topple Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Following Yevgeny Prigozhin’s statement about the Wagner Group’s control over military sites in Rostov, authorities in Moscow and the surrounding areas have declared a “counterterrorism” state of emergency.

Also Read: Putin in trouble as rebel mercenary fighters vow to topple Russian military leadership

In his emergency address, President Putin called the situation as an act of “treason” faced by Russia and a ‘stab in back’. He insisted that those who knowingly engaged in betrayal, prepared for armed rebellion, resorted to blackmail and terrorist methods, would face inevitable and stern punishment under the Russian law.

However, Putin did not explicitly mention Prigozhin by name but acknowledged that the situation in Rostov-on-Don was “difficult”.

In his response, Prigozhin targeted Putin claiming he was “deeply wrong” to call it a betrayal and that Wagner troops were “patriots of our motherland”.

Photographs published by Vedomosti newspaper, reveal Russian soldiers have established machine gun positions on the southwest outskirts of Moscow. The photographs also showed armed police forces assembling at the point where the M4 highway enters Moscow. This highway is being used by mutinous Wagner mercenaries to reach the capital city.

Also Read: Explained: What is Wagner Group and why it is fighting Russia

Prigozhin on Saturday claimed his troops captured the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District in Rostov without “firing a single shot.” He also said that his troops were fired upon by Russian artillery and choppers and that Wagner troops had shot down a Russian helicopter.

Prigozhin had accused Russia’s top military leadership of orchestrating a rocket attack on Wagner’s field camps in Ukraine, resulting in significant casualties among their fighters. This was rejected by Russian military leadership.

Prigozhin and President Putin were very close. Putin, while being deputy Mayor of Saint Petersburg, had come across Prigozhin who was in the restaurant business in the 90s. Prigozhin was the recipient of profitable government contracts earning him the moniker – “Putin’s Chef”.