Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday promised harsh punishment for the organizers of an armed uprising led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was leading his troops out of Ukraine into a key southern city.
In an address to the nation, Putin described the uprising as “a dagger in the back”. It was the greatest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power.
Prigozhin’s private army appeared to control military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow that directs Russian operations in Ukraine, the British Defense Ministry said.
Wagner troops and equipment also rolled into Russia’s Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow, where authorities are “taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population,” regional governor Igor Artamonov said per Telegram. He didn’t elaborate
As the rapid events in Russia unfolded, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow was suffering from “all-encompassing weakness” and Kiev was protecting Europe from “the spread of Russian evil and chaos.”
In his speech, Putin described Prigozhin’s actions, whom he did not name, as “betrayal” and “treason.”
“All those who prepared the uprising will inevitably be punished,” Putin said. “The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders.”
Prigozhin said his fighters would not capitulate because “we don’t want the country to live on in corruption, fraud and bureaucracy.”
“As for the betrayal of the motherland, the President was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland,” he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel.
Prigozhin’s private army, known as Wagner, fights alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals weren’t immediately clear, but the uprising represents an escalation of his struggle with Russian military leaders whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and obstructing his troops on the ground.
“This is not a military coup, but a march of justice,” Prigozhin said.
Prigozhin released a video of himself at military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, claiming his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military installations in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets.
“We didn’t kill a single person on our way,” Prigozhin said in one of his multiple messages published throughout the day, adding that his troops took the military headquarters “without a single shot.” His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities have not reported any casualties either.
The uprising comes at a time when Russia is “waging the toughest fight for its future,” Putin said, while Western governments are imposing sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine.
“The entire military, economic and information machinery of the West is directed against us,” Putin said.
Russia’s security services, including the Federal Security Service FSB, called for Prigozhin’s arrest after he called an armed uprising late Friday.
In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities in and around Moscow declared an “anti-terrorist regime” that restricted freedoms and increased security in the capital.
It was not immediately clear how Prigozhin managed to get into the southern Russian city and how many troops he had with him.
Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after accusing Russian government forces of attacking Wagner bases in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that “a large number of our comrades were killed”.
Prigozhin said Wagner’s troops shot down a Russian military helicopter that was firing at a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of this.
He claimed that Chief of Staff General Valery Gerasimov ordered the attacks after a meeting with Shoigu, at which it was decided to annihilate Wagner.
The Ministry of Defense denied an attack on the Wagner camps.
Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to resist.
A former convict, 62-year-old Prigozhin has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative catering jobs in the Kremlin, earning him the nickname “Putin’s chef.”
He attracted attention in the US when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were accused of running a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord in the run-up to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory. He founded the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries, and finally Ukraine.
After Putin’s speech calling for unity, officials tried to reaffirm their loyalty to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down.
Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers “are in favor of consolidating forces” and support Putin, adding that “Wagner fighters have to make the only right decision: to stand by their people, on the side of the law to protect the security and future of the motherland, to follow the orders of the Supreme Commander.”
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed this, saying in a Telegram post: “We have a commander-in-chief. Not two, not three. One.”
Ramzan Kadyrov, the strong leader of the Chechen region, who sided with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support for Putin’s “every word”.
“We have the commander-in-chief, elected by the people, who knows the situation better than any strategist and businessman, down to the last detail,” Kadyrov said. “The mutiny must be suppressed.”
Although the outcome of the confrontation was unclear, it appeared to further hamper Moscow’s war effort as Kiev’s forces probed Russian defenses in the early stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin wins, could also affect Putin and his ability to maintain unity.
Wagner’s forces played a crucial role in capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin increasingly criticizes the military leadership, accusing it of incompetence and the lack of ammunition for its troops.
Zelenskyy noted the rebellion on his Telegram channel, saying: “Anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself.”
“Russia has long used propaganda to cover up its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it,” he said. “Russia’s weakness is obvious. complete weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have later.”
Prigozhin’s actions could have a significant impact on the war. Orysia Lutsevych, head of the Ukraine forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said power struggles between the MoD and Wagner would create confusion and potential divisions among the Russian armed forces.
“Russian troops in Ukraine may now be operating in a vacuum, with no clear military instructions and no doubts about who to obey and who to follow,” Lutsevych said. “This creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army.”
Military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers with assault rifles were at work in front of the Defense Ministry’s main building. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was closed and there were traffic delays.
But despite the increased military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were overcrowded. At a club near the FSB headquarters, people were dancing in the street near the entrance.
Prigozhin, whose dispute with the defense ministry dates back years, has refused to comply with demands that his troops sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. He said Friday he was willing to compromise but “they treacherously betrayed us.”
Colonel-General Sergey Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine, urged Wagner’s troops to halt any move against the army, saying this would play into the hands of Russia’s enemies who “are looking at aggravating our internal political situation wait”. Situation.”
In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said, “The violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would irreparably damage the stability of Putin’s supposed power grab.”
The western countries watched the development closely. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken to his counterparts in the other G7 countries and the European Union’s foreign policy chief, his spokesman said, adding Blinken had “reaffirmed that United States support for Ukraine will not change.”
Latvia and Estonia, two NATO countries bordering Russia, said they would increase security at their borders.
The Kremlin said Putin discussed the events by phone with the leaders of Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
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Associated Press writer Danica Kirka from London contributed.
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