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 War Research Institute. Rostov-on-Don is also the home base of the Russian Joint Group of Forces’ 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.
From Rostov-on-Don to Voronezh: the road to Moscow
Wagner troops were reportedly advancing north through Voronezh Oblast on Saturday. British intelligence sources who monitored the movements were quoted as saying they were “almost certainly aimed at getting to Moscow”.
Videos circulating on social media allegedly showed fighting and shelling in Voronezh, but could not be independently verified. The city lies on the M-4 highway, which runs north from Rostov-on-Don towards Moscow. It is about 500 kilometers from the Russian capital.
Further north, in the Lipetsk region, 300 kilometers south of Moscow, the local governor reported on Telegram that Wagner mercenaries had entered the region.
“The equipment of the Wagner mercenary group is moving across the territory of the Lipetsk region,” said Governor Igor Artamonov.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Moscow issued a statement urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel, saying Monday will not be a working day for most people.
“In order to minimize risks, I decided within the operational headquarters to declare Monday a day off,” Sergei Sobyanin said in the Telegram.
The Russian authorities also announced that they had closed the main road south from Moscow to block the advance of the “Prigozhin mutineers”.
The Wagner Group: Russia’s shadow mercenary organization
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Edited by: Ben Knight