After capturing Rostov, Wagner’s mercenaries advance towards Moscow under aerial fire from Russian forces

New Delhi: Rebel Russian mercenaries advanced towards Moscow on Saturday after capturing a southern city overnight, with Russia’s military firing on them from the air but seemingly unable to slow their advance. . Facing the first serious challenge to his 23-year grip on power, President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush an armed insurgency he compared to Russia’s civil war a century ago. Fighters from Wagner’s private army, commanded by former Putin aide Yevgeny Prigozhin, were already on their way to most of the capital, having captured the city of Rostov and embarked on a 1,100 km (680 mi) run to Moscow.

Reuters saw troop carriers and a flatbed truck carrying a tank pass through the city of Voronezh more than halfway to Moscow, where a helicopter fired on them. But there were no reports of the rebels meeting any concrete resistance on the highway. Russian media showed pictures of small groups of police deploying machine guns on the southern outskirts of Moscow. Authorities in the Lipetsk region, south of the capital, told residents to stay at home.

More than 100 firefighters were working on a fire at a fuel depot in Voronezh. Video footage obtained by Reuters showed a helicopter flying in a ball of fire shortly after taking off. Prigozhin accused the Russian army of attacking civilian targets from the air as he tried to slow the progress of the column.

Read also: Commentary: The Vladimir Putin vs Wagner Mercenary Group rivalry – 5 points on the latest Russia crisis

Prigozhin says his men are on a “march for justice” to remove corrupt and incompetent commanders whom he blames for thwarting the war in Ukraine. In a televised address from the Kremlin, Putin said Russia’s existence was in danger. “We are fighting for the life and safety of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history,” he said.

“All those who deliberately set foot on the path of betrayal, who prepared armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terroristic methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, answer both to the law and to our people.” The defiant Prigozhin immediately replied that he and his men had no intention of changing themselves.

ALSO READ: ‘Betrayal’: Russian President Putin vows to crush Wagner rebels

“The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our homeland, we fought and are fighting for it,” Prigozhin said in an audio message. “We do not want the country to live in corruption, fraud and bureaucracy.”

Prigozhin, whose private army fought some of the bloodiest fighting in Ukraine even as he feuded with top officers for months, said he stormed the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District in Rostov without firing a shot. was captured.

In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistics hub for Russia’s entire invasion force, residents worked quietly, filming on mobile phones as Wagner fighters entered armored vehicles and battle tanks.
A tank was framed in the midst of stuccoed buildings with posters advertising the circus. The other had “Siberia” painted red on the front, a clear statement of Russia’s intention to take over the entire region.

In Moscow, the security presence on the streets was increased. Red Square was blocked off with metal barricades. In a series of frantic messages throughout the night, Prigozhin demanded that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov should visit him in Rostov.

Western capitals said they were closely monitoring the situation in nuclear-armed Russia. The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said it “represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times.”

“In the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia’s security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be critical in dealing with this crisis.” Putin’s grip on power may depend on whether he can muster enough loyal troops to counter the mercenaries at a time when most of Russia’s military is at the front in southern and eastern Ukraine.

The uprising also risks disorganizing Russia’s invasion force in Ukraine, as Kiev launches its strongest counter-offensive since the war began in February last year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a social media message, “Russia’s weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness.” “And the longer Russia keeps its army and mercenaries on our soil, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have later.”

prigozhin’s rebellion

Prigozhin, an ex-convict and longtime Putin ally, leads a private army made up of thousands of ex-prisoners recruited from Russian prisons.

His men fought some of the fiercest fighting of the 16-month Ukraine War, including the long battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut.
He raged for months against the regular army’s top officers, accusing generals of incompetence and withholding ammunition from his fighters. This month, he defied orders to sign a contract placing his troops under the command of the Ministry of Defense.

They launched an apparent rebellion on Friday, alleging that the army had killed many of their fighters in airstrikes. The Defense Ministry denied this.

He promised to destroy any checkpoint or air force that got in Wagner’s way, saying, “There are 25,000 of us and we’re going to find out why the country is in chaos.” He later said that his men were involved in skirmishes with regular troops and that they had shot down a helicopter.

Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider. “Only the President has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces and you are trying to encroach on his authority,” he said.