Mutinous fighters of the Wagner private army, led by former Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, have reversed their course towards Moscow to prevent bloodshed, according to an audio message from their leader.
The Wagner mercenaries had already captured the city of Rostov and embarked on an 1,100 km race to the capital.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko played a crucial role in brokering a deal to halt the further movement of Wagner fighters across Russia. In exchange for guarantees of safety for the rebels, the fighters agreed to return to their base. President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush the armed mutiny, comparing it to Russia’s Civil War a century ago.
The situation represents a major challenge to Putin’s power since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the previous year. Troop carriers and a flatbed truck carrying a tank were seen racing past Voronezh, with a helicopter firing on them, but no significant resistance was reported along the highway.
Small groups of police manned machine gun positions on Moscow’s southern outskirts, and authorities in the Lipetsk region advised residents to stay home. A fuel depot in Voronezh exploded in a fireball after a helicopter flew by.
Prigozhin claimed that his men were on a “march for justice” to remove corrupt and incompetent commanders responsible for mishandling the war in Ukraine.
In a televised address from the Kremlin, Putin declared that Russia’s existence was under threat and vowed harsh actions against those who betrayed the country and resorted to armed insurrection. The loyalty of Russia’s security forces, particularly the Russian National Guard, was highlighted as crucial to resolving the crisis.
Foreign countries, including the UK and the United States, closely monitored the situation in nuclear-armed Russia. The UK’s defense ministry stated that Russia faced its most significant security challenge in recent times. Security was tightened in Moscow, with an increased presence on the streets and Red Square being blocked off by metal barriers.
Prigozhin denied allegations of staging a military coup and asserted that his forces were not going to surrender. He accused the military’s top brass of deception and claimed his fighters were seeking to eliminate anyone obstructing their path. The Russian Defense Ministry labeled the Wagner Group’s actions as a criminal adventure and appealed to the mercenaries to contact representatives for their security.
