There was major upset in Russia yesterday, especially in President Vladimir Putin’s camp following the rebellion war launched by the chief of the Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin against the Russian army.
Putin
• Attack Is Armed Rebellion, Stab In The Back To Russia — Putin
There was major upset in Russia yesterday, especially in President Vladimir Putin’s camp following the rebellion war launched by the chief of the Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin against the Russian army.
For most of the day, Prigozhin’s men laid siege on the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukraine border and later seized military facilities in Voronezh, which is halfway between Rostov and Moscow.
As at evening time, the mercenaries were moving towards Moscow, a development that prompted a warning from the mayor of the capital city, advising residents to avoid travelling.
But in a sudden twist of event, few hours after the onslaught, Prigozhin said on his Telegram channel that he has agreed to “stop” the advancement of his troops towards Moscow.
In a surprise move, the Wagner forces boss, said his fighters were returning to field camps in Ukraine and did not want to “spill Russian blood.”
Prigozhin reportedly told his forces to return to their bases after negotiations with Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, according to Russian TV channel Rossiya 24. The conversation was reportedly agreed with President Putin.
Yesterday’s onslaught was a new twist to Russia’s 16-month full-scale war in Ukraine. Although Prigozhin denied attempting a coup, with the claim that his aim was “not a military coup but a march for justice,” the action created palpable fear, tension and anxiety in the country, especially President Putin’s camp, as it was presumed a serious threat to the President’s 23-year grip on power.
Despite Prigozhin’s defence, Putin, who was shocked by the turn of event, had accused the Wagner mercenary boss of treason, saying he has embarked on an armed rebellion and “a stab in the back of our country.”
In an emergency televised national address, the Russian President, said an “armed mutiny” by the Wagner militia group was treason, noting that anyone who had taken up arms against the Russian military would be punished.
“Those who organised and prepared a military mutiny, who took up arms against their comrades, betrayed Russia, and will be answered by us,” Putin said.
Putin urged the consolidation of all forces, saying what was happening was “a betrayal” and “a knife stab in the back of our country and our people.
“What we are facing is precisely betrayal. Excessive ambition and vested interests have led to treason. Betrayal of one’s country, one’s people, and the cause for which the soldiers and commanders of the Wagner group had fought and died, side by side with our other units,” he said.
Putin called Wagner’s actions “internal treachery,” saying, “all kinds of political adventurers and foreign forces, who divided the country and tore it apart, profited from their own interests. We will not let this happen again. We will protect both our people and our statehood from any threats, including internal treachery.”
Earlier in the afternoon, the governor of the region of Lipetsk, south of Moscow, confirmed that Wagner was crossing the region, with video showing a convoy heading north, raising serious concern that the troops might make it to Moscow soon.
A video posted on Telegram and verified by the BBC showed lorries blocking a bridge 97km (60 miles) from the outskirts of Moscow. This prompted the mayor of Moscow to also announce the start of a “counter-terrorist operation regime.”
Social media videos show Wagner troops walking around the city centre amid the locals, as well as drones flying over crowds and tanks parked in the streets. Videos also showed an overcrowded Rostov train station, with hundreds of people standing on the platform.
The sale of bus tickets has reportedly been suspended in Rostov, leaving people with limited options to leave the city.
On Friday night, it was reported that security in Russia was tightened; the Internet was restricted and military trucks spotted on Moscow Street. Prigozhin accused the army of launching a deadly attack on his forces in Ukraine, where Wagner troops are fighting for Russia – Moscow denies this.
In a message posted to Telegram, yesterday morning, Prigozhin said all the members of his Wagner group of mercenaries were “ready to die” in the action against the Russian military.
As tension mounts, the whereabouts of President Putin had been thrown into question after an aircraft belonging to the presidency was spotted flying from the capital city to St Petersburg, according to Flight Radar.
But his spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, denied the president fled the capital.
Sensing the challenges before him, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its twitter account, disclosed that Putin had reportedly phoned his counterparts in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. “The Russian leader informed his counterparts on the situation in the country,” the Twitter account said.
The Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan was among the first leaders to hold a phone call with Putin after his speech. Erdogan urged Putin to act with common sense.
The Turkish presidency said the two discussed recent developments in Russia and Erdogan told Putin that Turkey was ready to do its part to help bring about a peaceful resolution.
“It was stressed during the call that no one should take it upon themselves to take action in the face of the situation in Russia,” it added.
Considering the safety of its citizens, France advised against all travel to Russia given the “high volatility” of the military and security situation in the country.
According to the information on its foreign ministry website, the British government’s emergency committee, known as COBR, also met yesterday to discuss the latest developments in Russia and the risks to British citizens there, a government spokesperson said.
“The Foreign Secretary has chaired a meeting of COBR to update on the latest situation, particularly with respect to British nationals in Russia,” a government spokesperson said.
British Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly also took part in a meeting with counterparts from the Group of Seven major advanced economies.
Earlier in the day, Britain also updated its travel advice to warn that following military action in the southern Ru
ssian city of Rostov – there was “a risk of further unrest across the country.”
The Prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau said the Canada’s incident response group would meet to discuss the latest developments in Russia. “We are in contact with our allies and will continue to monitor the situation closely,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the former Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev has reportedly disclosed that the country will not allow the Wagner mutiny to turn into a coup.
According to Reuters, Medvedev said: “The whole world will be on brink of global catastrophe if nuclear weapons fall into the hands of bandits.”