Russian navy helicopters opened hearth on Saturday afternoon on a convoy of insurgent mercenaries already greater than half means in direction of Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing a southern metropolis in a single day.
Fighters from Yevgeny Prigozhin’s non-public Wagner militia had been accountable for Rostov-on-Don, a metropolis of greater than 1,000,000 folks near the border with Ukraine, and had been quickly advancing northwards by means of western Russia.
A Reuters journalist noticed military helicopters open hearth at an armed Wagner column that was advancing previous the town of Voronezh with troop carriers and a minimum of one tank on a flatbed truck. The metropolis is greater than half means alongside the 1,100-kilometer (680-mile) freeway from Rostov to Moscow.
Prigozhin, whose non-public military fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine at the same time as he feuded for months with the highest brass, mentioned he had captured the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District in Rostov after main his forces into Russia from Ukraine.
In Rostov, which serves as the principle rear logistical hub for Russia’s complete invasion power, residents milled about, filming on cell phones, as Wagner fighters in armored autos and battle tanks took up positions.
One tank was wedged between stucco buildings with posters promoting the circus. Another had “Siberia” daubed in purple paint throughout the entrance, a transparent assertion of intent to comb throughout the breadth of Russia.
In Moscow, there was an elevated safety presence on the streets. Red Square was blocked off by metallic boundaries.
President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush the armed mutiny he in comparison with Russia’s Civil War a century in the past.
“Excessive ambitions and vested interests have led to treason,” Putin mentioned in a televised handle, evaluating the revolt at a time of struggle overseas to Russia’s revolution and civil struggle unleashed throughout World War I.
“All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people.”
A defiant Prigozhin swiftly replied that he and his males had no intention of turning themselves in.
“The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it,” Prigozhin mentioned in an audio message. “We don’t want the country to continue to live in corruption and deceit.”
In a collection of hectic messages in a single day, Prigozhin demanded Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the final employees Valery Gerasimov come to see him in Rostov.
Western capitals mentioned they had been carefully following the state of affairs in nuclear-armed Russia. The White House mentioned President Joe Biden was briefed.
“This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times,” Britain’s protection ministry mentioned.
“Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia’s security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out.”
Putin’s grip on energy could rely on whether or not he can muster sufficient loyal troops to fight the mercenaries at a time when most of Russia’s navy is deployed on the entrance in southern and jap Ukraine.
The revolt additionally dangers leaving Russia’s invasion power in Ukraine in disarray, simply as Kyiv is launching its strongest counteroffensive because the struggle started in February final 12 months.
“Russia’s weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote in a social media message. “And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later.”
Prigozhin’s revolt
Prigozhin, a former convict and long-time ally of Putin, leads a personal military that features 1000’s of former prisoners recruited from Russian jails.
His males took on the fiercest preventing of the 16-month Ukraine struggle, together with the protracted battle for the jap metropolis of Bakhmut.
He railed for months towards the common military’s high brass, accusing generals of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters. This month, he defied orders to signal a contract putting his troops beneath Defense Ministry command.
He launched the obvious mutiny on Friday after alleging that the navy had killed lots of his fighters in an air strike. The Defense Ministry denied it.
“There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country,” he mentioned, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that received in Wagner’s means. He later mentioned his males had been concerned in clashes with common troopers and had shot down a helicopter.
Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video enchantment asking Prigozhin to rethink 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 mentioned.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
