The wail of ambulance and police vehicle sirens echoed through the air Saturday in Rostov-on-Don, the Russian command’s strategic location for its operations in Ukraine, where paramilitary group Wagner claims it has seized control of key locations.
An armored vehicle armed with a machine gun and a dozen men in combat fatigues with silver armbands were seen at a major intersection in the city center, reporters in the city said.
According to the same sources, armored personnel carriers and tanks were also parked in other parts of the city center, including in front of a toy store and a circus.
Passersby pause to watch passing military vehicles, including vans, and other armed men, also with silver armbands, resting.
Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed his troops had taken control of Russia’s main military command center for Ukrainian operations, as well as an airbase in the city, and vowed to overthrow Moscow’s top military leaders.
Yevgeny Prigoyine also claimed to be at the head of 25,000 fighters.
Rostov, a port city just over 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, was founded in the 18th century and is the seat of Russia’s military command in the south.
Unlike other major Russian cities further from the front lines, Rostov, which has a population of just over a million, has suffered the effects of the conflict in neighboring Ukraine.
One person died in a fire at a building of the FSB – the Russian secret service responsible for internal security – in Rostov last March.
The region has also been the target of several drone attacks in recent months.
The region’s governor Vasily Golubev urged residents not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary, stressing that all planned mass gatherings in the city had been cancelled.
He also urged people not to use the M4 highway – the main road connecting Moscow with southern Russia – as sections are closed and large convoys of cars have formed along the highway.
Public transport remains operational, but routes have been changed to avoid the city center, Golubev added.
“The situation that has arisen requires the utmost concentration of efforts to maintain order,” he said on social media. “Law enforcement is doing whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of the people of our region.”