The “regime of anti-terrorist operations” was introduced in the Russian capital, Moscow, and its region, at a time when Russia is rocked by a rebellion by the Wagner paramilitary group, the National Anti-Terrorist Committee announced on Saturday.
To “prevent possible attacks”, this regime also entered the Voronezh region, on the border with Ukraine, the committee said in a press release, quoted by Russian news agencies.
This measure strengthens the powers of the security services and allows them to restrict the movements of citizens.
It also provides for identity and vehicle controls on the streets and authorizes the temporary suspension of communication services, if necessary.
“All massive events (…) have been canceled for this reason” in Moscow, the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin, announced earlier.
“All municipal services function normally and movement in the city has not been disturbed,” he declared, thanking the residents for their “understanding” and “tranquility”.
The head of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, called for the rebellion against the Russian military command, which he accused of attacking his fighters.
This Saturday morning, Prigozhin announced that the paramilitary group controls military installations and the Rostov airfield, a key city for Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The paramilitary group’s leader said he had 25,000 soldiers at his command and ready to die, urging the Russians to join them in a “march for justice.”
Prigozhin had earlier accused the Russian army of carrying out attacks on his mercenary camps, causing “a large number of casualties”, accusations denied by the Russian Defense Ministry.
Prigozhin’s accusations expose the deep tensions within Moscow’s forces over the offensive in Ukraine.
The leader of Wagner’s group had already claimed that the Russian army is withdrawing in various sectors of southern and eastern Ukraine, Kherson and Zaporizhia, respectively, and in Bakhmut, contradicting Moscow’s claims that the Kiev counteroffensive was a failure.
Source: TSF
