Putin decries ‘treason’ as Wagner troops take over key Russian town
Vladimir Putin has accused the Wagner mercenary group’s leader of “treason” as his troops reached a key Russian city after crossing the border from Ukraine.
Yeveny Prigozhin, who has called for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister, posted a video of himself in Rostov-on-Don at the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Prigozhine had committed “armed mutiny” as he addressed the nation this morning in response to the growing crisis.
He said: “This is an attempt to subvert us from inside. This is treason on the face of those who are fighting on the front. This is a stab in the back of our troops and the people of Russia.
“I am doing everything to repeal this attack and to ensure the freedom and security of our citizens. Those who mutiny have betrayed Russia.”
Putin branded the dramatic escalation of the war as “a criminal adventuristic campaign” and said restrictive measures have been taken in Moscow and other regions, with the situation in Rostov “very complicated”, the Russian leader conceded.
Prigozhin has threatened to march on Moscow and vowed revenge after claiming 2,000 of his men were killed in Russian strikes.
Prigozhin claimed that his forces had seized military facilities in Rostov-on-Don, including the air field. Videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, and Wagner troops on the streets.
Russia’s security services had responded to Prigozhin’s declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest, with the mercenary group’s leader accused of plotting a military coup.
Security has been heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don following the Wagner leader’s threats.
In his audio messages, Prigozhin said: “Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance…
“There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country,” he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner’s way.
Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider his actions.
“Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority,” he said.
Army General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, whom Prigozhin has praised in the past, said in a video that “the enemy is just waiting for our internal political situation to deteriorate”.
“Before it is too late … you must submit to the will and order of the people’s president of the Russian Federation. Stop the columns and return them to their permanent bases,” he said.
An unverified video on a Telegram channel close to Wagner showed the purported scene of an air strike against Wagner forces.
It carried the caption: “A missile attack was launched on the camps of PMC (Private Military Company) Wagner. Many victims.
“According to eyewitnesses, the strike was delivered from the rear, that is, it was delivered by the military of the Russian Ministry of Defence.”
On Friday, he dismissed for the first time Putin’s core justifications for invading Ukraine 16 months ago, something for which many Russians have been fined or jailed.
(With agencies. This story is being updated)
