The rapidly evolving situation in southern Russia, where mercenary Wagner forces led by former oligarch and war criminal Yevgeny Prigozhin, has captured key military installations, led Russian thug and war criminal Vladimir Putin to call it "armed mutiny" in a message broadcast throughout Russia.
Meanwhile, Wagner forces claim to be in control of Rostov-on-Don, a major city and home to Russia's southern military district command. In an audio message, Prigozhin claimed to be avenging thousands of his forces' killing by the Russian military:
"In the audio, Prigozhin said, without providing evidence, that Russia’s military leadership was responsible for the deaths of 2,000 fighters. He pledged to hold them to account.
Within hours, Prigozhin said in another message that he and his fighters had turned their backs on Ukraine and crossed back into Russia. He warned that 'if something stands in our way, we will destroy everything that will try to stop us.'
Earlier Prigozhin warned that his troops would move to punish Russia's defense minister and urged the army not to offer resistance. He declared that “this is not an armed rebellion, but a march of justice.'”
The FSB, Russia's security agency answerable only to Putin, announced it had opened a criminal case against Prigozhin, and called his action "a stab in the back of Russian servicemen." The service called on Wagner fighters not to attack Russian targets and to detain Prigozhin.
Live updates here and here.
President Zelensky reacts: "Russia's weakness is obvious"
(photos: Wagner tanks pictured in Rostov-on-Don. Reuters)
