The head of the Wagner mercenary group said his troops had occupied key military sites in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
“Military objects of Rostov, including the airport, are under our control,” Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video released Saturday morning. However, his claims could not be independently verified.
Why is Rostov-on-Don important?
Just 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Ukrainian border, Rostov-on-Don is the largest city in southern Russia. With a population of over a million, it is the capital of the Rostov region, which borders parts of eastern Ukraine. The city is on the main route between the border with Ukraine’s Donbass region and Moscow, some 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) to the north.
The city is an important command and logistics hub for the Russian army. It houses the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District, whose 58th Combined Arms Army is involved in operations against Kiev’s counter-offensive in southern Ukraine, according to the Institute for War Research. Rostov-on-Don is also the home base of the Russian Joint Forces Group’s command center throughout Ukraine. Any threats to the military installations in the city are likely to affect Russia’s war effort.
DW international correspondent Roman Goncharenko said the reports of a Wagner group mutiny could mark a turning point for Russia.
“Taking control of Rostov-on-Don, or at least part of Rostov-on-Don, where the Russian army headquarters is located, is an unprecedented move and shows how weak the Russian military is,” he said.
The Wagner Group: Russia’s shadow mercenary organization
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Edited by: Kristin Zeier