Wagner commander announces his forces’ control of military installations in southern Russia and threatens to go to Moscow.

The commander of the Russian military Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced that his forces had taken control – today, Saturday – of military facilities in Rostov Province (in the south of the country) and threatened to head to the capital, Moscow, in a move aimed at overthrowing the military leadership.

Prigozhin, 62, said that he and his followers are in the Southern Command Center, and have taken control of military facilities in Rostov, including the airport.

He added that they took control of the military airport in Rostov so that the planes would not bomb them, noting that the warplanes take off normally to carry out their tasks in Ukraine. A Russian security sourcesaid that Wagner fighters had taken control of all military installations in Voronezh province, which is located on the border with Ukraine, 500 kilometers south of Moscow.

Prior to confirming control of Rostov’s military facilities, Wagner’s commander had talked about shooting down an army helicopter that tried to bomb his forces heading to Rostov, warning of any resistance that could be shown by any Russian security or military authority, and indicating that his forces would return to the front in Ukraine after achieving what he called Justice.

At the military command headquarters in Rostov, the founder of the Wagner Group met with the deputy defense minister and deputy commander of the Operations Command of the General Staff, according to a video clip published by a pro-Wagner channel on Telegram.

Prigozhin confirmed that the Chief of Staff, Valery Gerasimov, fled the city when he learned that Wagner’s forces were approaching the command center, according to him.

Hours after announcing that his forces had crossed the border from Ukraine into southern Russia, Prigozhin published a video clip in which he threatened to take control of Rostov and go to Moscow if Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff did not come to meet him, stressing that he and his approximately 25,000 soldiers were “ready to die.”

The commander of the Russian special military group denied that he was in the process of carrying out a rebellion, and repeated previous statements that the Russian army was retreating on the fronts in the face of the Ukrainian counterattack, speaking of the death of about a thousand soldiers dead and wounded daily.

These unprecedented developments in Russia come amid a heated dispute between Wagner’s commander and the Ministry of Defense over managing the battles in Ukraine, and Prigozhin has repeatedly accused the military leadership of not supplying his forces with enough weapons and ammunition.

Accounts loyal to the Wagner Group have published pictures showing Prigozhin inside the headquarters of the Southern Military Command in Rostov, and soldiers deployed in the vicinity of the headquarters.

Russian news websites also published pictures showing the deployment of tanks in the vicinity of the Southern Military District Command building, and the pictures show tanks directing their weapons towards the building.

In turn, media reported that gunmen whose identities were not clear surrounded the local police headquarters in Rostov-on-Don.

The leader of the Wagner Group called for the crowd to confront the military leaders, after he accused the Minister of Defense of giving an order to bomb his forces in one of its camps in Ukraine.

And Prigozhin talked about the loss of a “massive” number of his forces in the bombing, which he says was carried out on orders from the Minister of Defense.

The Ministry of Defense denied that the army bombed Wagner forces in Ukraine, and described the statements of the leader of this group as provocative.

The situation in Moscow and other provinces

Meanwhile, the Russian “anti-terrorism” committee announced the imposition of what it calls the anti-terrorism regime in the capital and the Moscow region in anticipation of what it described as terrorist acts.

Before that, the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, announced the tightening of security measures in the province, in light of recent developments related to the movements of Wagner’s forces.

As part of the announced security measures, armored vehicles were deployed in front of important institutions in Moscow, including the parliament headquarters.

In the same context, the M-4 highway, which connects Moscow to the southern provinces, 400 km south of the capital, was closed.

For his part, the governor of the Russian province of Lipetsk said that traffic on the “M-4” road had stopped at the administrative border with Voronezh province.

As for the governor of the Russian province of Bryansk on the borders of Ukraine, he said that the situation is stable, adding that security measures have been strengthened and that all facilities are operating normally.

In the context, the authorities of the city of St. Petersburg (northwest) said that they continue to tighten security measures in the city and that the situation is under control, at a time when Russian media reported that the Russian National Guard forces entered the headquarters of the Wagner Group in St. Petersburg.

The Russian Ministry of Defense sent a message to the Wagner fighters, calling on them to end the rebellion, and said that they had been deceived into what it described as Prigozhin’s criminal adventure and participation in an armed rebellion.

The ministry said that it had provided assistance in securing the return of a number of Wagner fighters to their deployment points, and that it would ensure the security of all.

Earlier today, General Sergey Surovikin, deputy commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, called on Wagner’s forces and leaders to stop and return to their bases.

In turn, the Russian State Security Service urged – in a statement – Wagner’s fighters to disobey the orders of their leader (Prigozhin) and to take all measures and procedures to arrest him, considering that Prigozhin’s statements and actions represent a call for armed civil conflict.

And the Russian State Security Service had announced earlier that an investigation had been opened regarding Prigozhin’s call for disobedience, and the Wagner leader faces charges that carry a penalty of 20 years in prison.

The Kremlin said that the Ministries of Defense and Interior and the State Security Service provide continuous reports to President Vladimir Putin on the implementation of an armed rebellion.

Countries are monitoring the situation

In foreign reactions, the US National Security Council said that Washington is monitoring developments in the situation in Russia, and will consult with allies regarding it.

While the Russian Foreign Ministry called on all Russian citizens to rally around President Vladimir Putin, the Russian State Duma (parliament) speaker said that Wagner’s failure to stand with the people, failure to protect Russia’s security and implementation of the Supreme Leader’s orders is treason.

And in Kiev, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that it was monitoring the escalating dispute between the Wagner Group and the Russian military leadership.

And the Ukrainian military intelligence considered that what is happening in Russia is the result of a struggle for power and the war on Ukraine, and an advisor to the Ukrainian president said that “everything has just begun in Russia and someone must definitely lose,” adding that the division between the elites in Russia is very clear and they will not succeed in reaching a solution. agreement, he said.

Germany, France, Sweden, Estonia and NATO said they were closely monitoring developments in Russia.

In turn, the British Foreign Office warned of the widening scope of unrest in Russia, while the Ministry of Defense said that the loyalty of the Russian security forces, especially the National Guard, in the coming hours will be decisive, considering that the current situation represents the greatest challenge to the Russian state at the present time.