Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian mercenary outfit Wagner, said that its fighters had crossed the border into Russia from Ukraine hours after the Kremlin accused him of armed rebellion.
According to Prigozhin, his men would “destroy everything” that stood in their way as they tried to overthrow the country’s military leadership in Moscow.
The rising hostility between opposing Kremlin factions over the conflict in Ukraine is now on full display. The armies of Wagner are currently approaching Rostov in Russia.
The mayor of Moscow stated that further security measures are being implemented against terrorism and that public events may be limited. Moscow has tightened security, and according to Russia, Kyiv is “taking advantage” of Prigozhin’s “provocation” to advance on the Bakhmut region of the east.
This comes amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict and when the head of the Russian military contractor Wagner group said that his forces had taken control of the Rostov-on-Don region, including the city’s airport. At the same time, President Putin called any unrest ad “deadly threat” and warned of severe consequences.
Yevgeny Prigozhin accused Russia of treachery and lies, claiming that the Russian military command had killed 2,000 fighters. This further tensions between the Wagner Group Chief and the Russian Defense Minister.
According to a statement from the Russian defence ministry, Wagner’s claims are inaccurate, which also charged the military unit leader with inciting “armed rebellion and igniting civil war” in response to the accusations.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, declared that his army was prepared to employ harsh measures, if necessary, to quell a revolt led by Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group.
