Prigozhin had earlier said that he wanted to oust the army’s top brass and “restore justice”. President Vladimir Putinsaid the mutiny had to be put down. In an audio message released by his press service, Prigozhin said: “They wanted to disband the Wagner military company.We embarked on a march of justice on June 23.
In 24 hours we got to within 200km of Moscow. In this time we did not spill a single drop of our fighters’ blood. “Now the moment has come when blood could be spilled. Understanding responsibility that Russian blood will be spilled on one side, we are turning our columns around and going back to field camps as planned.”The office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had spoken to Prigozhin with Putin’s approval, and that the head of the Wagner militia had agreed to de-escalate the situation.
Facing the first serious challenge to his grip on power of his 23-year rule, Putin had vowed to crush the armed mutiny he compared to Russia’s civil war a century ago. There was increased security presence in Moscow and Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers.
Wagner chief takes Russia’s logistical hub for Ukraine invasion ‘without firing a shot’
Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the top brass, said on Saturday that he had captured the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District in Rostov without firing a shot. In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia’s entire invasion force, residents milled about calmly, filming on mobile phones as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions. The surrounding region of Rostov is an important oil, gas and grains hub.
As the headquarters for one of Russia’s five military districts, Rostov has played a primary role in operations in Ukraine since 2014, when Russia sparked a separatist war just over the border in the Donbas region. The city’s importance as a military hub has continued since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. “Rostov is a logistical hub for the entire Russian military effort in Ukraine, so it is heavily protected. The top chain of command is in Rostov,” said Andrei Soldatov, an expert on Russian intelligence and a senior fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis.
The fact that Prigozhin and his troops were able to occupy Rostov is not only militarily and strategically symbolic, it is also significant for Russia’s ability to wage its war in Ukraine, he added.
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VIDEO:Russia faces coup after Kremlin-Wagner chief clash? Rebel mercenaries enter Russian military district
Having captured the city of Rostov and set off on an 1,100km race to Moscow, the fighters of the Wagner private army were already most of the way to the Russian capital. Outside Moscow, armoured military vehicles had set up roadblocks, while Russian media showed small groups of police manning machine gun positions on the southern outskirts. Prigozhin had said his men were on a “march for justice” to remove corrupt and incompetent commanders he blames for botching the Ukraine war.
A source close to the leadership in the Russian-held part of Ukraine’s Donetsk province said the convoy had about 5,000 fighters, with a similar number in Rostov. Overall, Wagner has fewer than 25,000 men at its disposal, said the source, who has proved reliable in the past.
The source said the mercenaries, led by a senior Wagner commander, Dmitry Utkin, intended to take up positions in a densely built-up area. Prigozhin accused Russia’s military of hitting civilian targets from the air as it tried to slow the column’s advance.
In a televised address from the Kremlin earlier in the day, Putin said Russia’s very existence was under threat. “We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history,” he said.
Putin later signed a law tightening rules for breaking martial law in places where it has been imposed, the RIA news agency said. Prigozhin had struck a defiant note and said he and his men had no intention of turning themselves in.
Western capitals said they were closely following the situation in nuclear-armed Russia. US President Joe Biden spoke to the leaders of France, Germany and Britain, while secretary of state Antony Blinken spoke to counterparts from G7 nations.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had urged Putin to act with common sense, in a phone call with the Russian president about the recent developments.
(With inputs from Reuters)