Breaking news… Yevgeny Prigojin, the founder of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, made accusations against Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and announced that they have entered into a big war against the leaders of the Russian army. After the harsh statement, armored vehicles took to the streets, while Wagner surrounded the Russian Southern Military District Headquarters building in Rostov-Na-Donu.
The latest situation in Russia and minute-by-minute developments are being followed. Yevgeny Prigojin, the founder of Wagner, claimed that Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov organized operations to destroy Wagner soldiers and said, “The Russian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on the Wagner PMC camps. Many of our comrades died, we will decide how to respond to this war,” he said.
Saying that Shoigu and Gerasimov should be punished, Prigojin said, “We will consider anyone who tries to oppose us as a danger and destroy them immediately, including checkpoints on our way.”
ARMORED VEHICLES SEEN ON THE STREETS
Although the Russian Defense Ministry stated in a written statement that Prigozjin’s accusations against Russian soldiers were not true, there was a visible movement in Russia. While armored vehicles that started to be seen on the streets of Moscow were seen moving rapidly, it was learned that the same movements were seen in Russian cities bordering Ukraine, where the war continues.
Here are the latest minute-by-minute developments in the Kremlin-Wagner crisis…
15:35 Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has just said that President Putin is working in the Kremlin.
15:25 The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell announced that he has met with the foreign ministers of the G7 countries on the situation in Russia and has set up a crisis response center.
15:15 Qatar has expressed concern about the situation in Russia and called for “restraint”. The UK Government has also called an emergency committee meeting to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia.
“WE ARE WITNESSING THE BEGINNING OF A CIVIL WAR”
15:00 “Events are developing according to the scenario we talked about last year,” Mykhailo Podolyak, a top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said of the Wagner uprising, adding;
“Today we are actually witnessing the beginning of a civil war.”
14:53 Russian mercenary group Wagner has deployed its armored vehicles at several points in the Rostov region, which is critical in the Ukrainian war. Wagner fighters besieged the headquarters of the Southern Military District Command and took control of several other public buildings. Dozens of vehicles belonging to the Russian army are reportedly moving towards Rostov.
14:30 Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev also called for support for Russian leader Putin, saying: “The most important thing to do is to rally around the Russian President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin, as division is a path to disaster.”
14:00 Wagner rebels allegedly shot down a Russian military helicopter in Voronezh.
On the other hand, an explosion occurred in a fuel depot in Voronezh, where eyes turned after the city of Rostov-on-Don, where the Russian mercenary group Wagner started a rebellion. It was claimed that the warehouse was hit by a military helicopter.
Voronezh Governor Aleksandr Gusev said in a statement, “A fire at a fuel depot on Dimitrova Street in Voronezh is being extinguished. More than 100 fire brigades and more than 30 fire fighting vehicles are working at the scene. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties.” Governor Gusev did not share information about the cause of the explosion.
13:42 Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky said about the events in Russia: “Anyone who chooses the path of evil will destroy himself. Russia’s weakness is obvious.”
Without mentioning Putin by name, the Ukrainian leader accused the Russian leader of “throwing hundreds of thousands of people into the war”.
Zelensky also argued that the longer Russia stays in Ukraine, the more chaos, suffering and problems it will face.”
13:35 Chechen leader Ramazan Kadyrov described Progojin’s armed rebellion as a “stab in the back” and expressed his support for every word of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
13:17 Following the crisis in Russia between the army and the mercenary group Wagner, neighboring Estonia and Latvia have stepped up security measures and issued “do not travel” warnings to Russia. Polish President Andrej Duda said, “We are constantly monitoring developments beyond our eastern border.”
13:00 French President Emmanuel Macron is closely following the situation in Russia, the Elysee Palace said in a statement. “We continue to focus on the support for Ukraine,” the statement said.
12:30 Russia’s Emergencies Ministry announced that there is heavy traffic in the Rostov region and that it has set up drinking water points in various parts of the regional highway.
12:15 Wagner owner Yevgeni Prigojin said on Telegram that all members of the Wagner group are “ready to die” in the uprising against the Russian army and have no intention of surrendering.
Prigojin said, “We are all ready to die. All 25 thousand people and then 25 thousand more,” Prigojin said.
11:48 a.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and briefed him on the situation in Russia, the Belarusian Presidential Telegram account said today.
10:35 a.m. The office of the Wagner company in St. Petersburg, Russia, has reportedly been raided. “Law enforcement officers raided the office on Zolnaya Street in St. Petersburg,” Fontanka website reported. It is reported that two busloads of police and national guardsmen along with plainclothes people entered the building.
10:16 Russian President Putin was very harsh in his first statement on the issue. “Today we are facing traitors,” Putin said, adding, “Traitors inside Wagner have started an armed rebellion. This rebellion will not benefit our country. Traitors will be punished in the most severe way. Let these guilty people know that our response will be harsh. Such uprisings are a stab in the back of our country. Armed uprising and any internal uprising is a blow to Russia, to our people. The punishment will be severe.”
THEY’VE SURROUNDED THE MILITARY HEADQUARTERS: WE WANT GERASIMOV AND SHOIGU HERE
10:08 Wagner has surrounded the Russian Southern Military District Headquarters building in Rostov-Na-Donu. Prigojin, who met with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alekseev, said: “We are here. We have established control in Rostov. We want the Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Russian Defense Minister Shoigu here. If they don’t come, we will be here. We will blockade the city of Rostov and leave for Moscow.”
RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY CALLS ON WAGNER SOLDIERS
09:50 In a breaking statement, the Russian Defense Ministry told Wagner soldiers that they had been deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure.
The ministry urged the Wagner soldiers to contact their own representatives and emphasized that everyone’s safety will be ensured, Tass news agency reported.
FIRST STATEMENT FROM THE KREMLIN
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made a brief statement on the situation, saying, “President (Vladimir) Putin has been informed about all the events taking place with Prigojin. The necessary measures are being taken.”
US: THE SITUATION IS REAL AND SERIOUS
While US President Joe Biden was briefed on what happened in Russia, US officials described the situation as ‘serious’. “We are monitoring the situation and will consult with our allies and partners on developments,” said Adam Hodge, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
A US official told CNN that the crisis is “real” and that the Pentagon and the White House are closely monitoring developments.
‘RUSSIAN SOLDIERS RIOTED’ ALLEGATION
Yevgeny Prigojin claimed on his Telegram channel that his soldiers had already started clashing with Russian soldiers and claimed that around 60-70 Russian soldiers had mutinied and joined their ranks.
COUNTER-TERRORISM MEASURES ACTIVATED! ‘DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOME’ WARNING
Russian authorities accused Yevgeny Prigozhin of trying to start a “civil war” and demanded his arrest. Russian commanders called on the Russian security company Wagner to “stop”.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said today that ‘anti-terrorist’ measures have been put in place to strengthen security in the capital, with additional checks on the roads.
The governor of the Rostov region asked residents to stay indoors and, if possible, not to travel to the city center.
FSB LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that an investigation was launched into the call for ‘armed rebellion’.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) interpreted the statements of Wagner’s founder Prigojin as a coup attempt and commented, “Prigojin’s statements and actions are a call to start a civil war on Russian territory.”
