Russian President Vladimir Putin this Saturday denounced the armed uprising promoted by the leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, pledging to “defend the people” and Russia, in a statement released by Russian television.
“Whoever organized and prepared the military uprising betrayed Russia and will answer for it,” Putin declared in a speech to the nation broadcast on public television.
Putin did not name Prigozhin, wanting to distinguish him from the forces of the Wagner group. people.
“Our actions to defend the fatherland against this threat will be very harsh and those responsible will be brought to justice,” said the Russian president, but confirmed that the situation in Rostov is “difficult” and that his troops are now trying stabilize the situation.
Putin also said the insurgency of the Wagner paramilitary group is a “mortal threat” to the Russian state and guaranteed that he will not “let civil war” happen, appealing to “unity”.
In a statement on Russian television, Putin said the country was fighting “the toughest fight for its future” when the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, led an armed uprising.
“Any internal unrest is a mortal threat to our state as a nation; it is a blow to Russia, to our people and to the actions we take to protect our homeland,” he said.
The head of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, called for an uprising against the Russian military command, which he accused of attacking its fighters.
This morning Prigozhin announced that the paramilitary group controls military facilities and the airport in Rostov, a key city for the Russian attack on Ukraine.
The leader of the paramilitary group said he had 25,000 soldiers at his disposal and was ready to die, urging the Russians to join them in a “march for justice”.
Prigozhin had previously accused the Russian military of carrying out attacks on his mercenary camps, which resulted in “a very large number of casualties”, allegations denied by the Russian Defense Ministry.
Prigozhin’s accusations expose deep tensions within Moscow’s troops over the offensive in Ukraine.
The leader of the Wagner group had already stated that the Russian army is retreating to various sectors of southern and eastern Ukraine, Kherson and Zaporijia respectively, and to Bakhmut, contradicting Moscow’s claims that the counter-offensive in Kiev was a failure.
Russia under “anti-terrorist operations regime” after advance of Wagner group
The “anti-terrorist operations regime” was introduced in Russia’s capital Moscow and its region as Russia is rocked by an uprising by the Wagner paramilitary group, the National Anti-terrorism Committee announced today.
To “prevent possible attacks”, this regime was also introduced in the Voronezh region, on the border with Ukraine, the commission reports in a press release, quoted by Russian news agencies.
This measure strengthens the powers of the security services and allows them to restrict movements.
It also provides for identity and vehicle checks on the street and authorizes the temporary suspension of communications services if necessary.
“All mass events (…) have been canceled for this reason” in Moscow, the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin, previously announced.
“All municipal services are operating normally and traffic in the city is not hindered,” he said, thanking residents for their “understanding” and “calm”.
Source: DN
