- Russia’s Wagner paramilitary forces appear to be headed toward the capital, Moscow.
- Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claims to be leading a “march for justice.”
- Speaking early on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused his former ally of “treason.”
Wagner mercenary forces appear to be headed toward Moscow after a stunning overnight seizure of a regional capital home to more than a million people and a key Russian military base.
Following the seemingly bloodless capture of Rostov-on-Don, a strategically important port city, Wagner forces — commanded by their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin — headed north to the region of Voronezh, where Russian state media reported Saturday that an oil depot was on fire. Video posted to social media, which has not been independently verified, appeared to show a Russian Kamov Ka-52 “Alligator” helicopter attacking the facility .
Photos and videos now appear to show Wagner forces and their armored vehicles in the region of Lipetsk, which is a roughly eight-hour drive from Rostov-on-Don — and less than six hours from Moscow. The governor of the region, Igor Artamonov, had earlier announced that highway traffic was blocked, The New York Times reported , and that a military convoy was moving through the area. He later confirmed that Wagner forces were moving through the area, state media reported, and urged civilians to stay in their homes.
Prigozhin, a former ally of President Vladimir Putin, claims to be leading some 25,000 men, characterizing his day-old rebellion as a “march for justice” aimed at overthrowing Russia’s military leadership, which he accuses of misleading the president and mismanaging the war in Ukraine.
The “march” began Friday after Prigozhin accused Russia’s defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, of ordering an air strike on Wagner forces in Ukraine. He has repeatedly accused Shoigu and other military leaders of undermining Wagner forces in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s military intelligence unit on Saturday said that Prigozhin’s forces now appear to be on their way “towards the capital,” with Russian military equipment that had been in reserve or deployed near the border now “being withdrawn to Moscow.” Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has also pledged to combat Wagner and help Russia ” defend its statehood .”
The apparent march toward Moscow comes after the city’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, earlier on Saturday morning said that the capital was adopting new “counter-terrorism measures” to reinforce security, according to the state news agency TASS. The British Ministry of Defense had also said earlier that Wagner units were moving north from Rostov-on-Don through the Vorenezh Oblast, “almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow.”
Igor Girkin, a former Russian military commander who has been critical of both Wagner and Russia’s leadership, said Saturday that Prigozhin appeared to be throwing his “most combat-ready shock units” into “a raid on Moscow.”
By tomorrow morning, he posted on Telegram, “we will find out” if the strategy worked.
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