Russian president Vladimir Putin said the Wagner Group’s rebellion is a “stab in the back” to Russia and that those involved in mutiny would be “held accountable”.
In the emergency televised address on Saturday, Mr Putin said that an “armed mutiny” by the mercenary force was treason, and that anyone who had taken up arms against the Russian military would be punished.
He said he would do everything to protect Russia, and that “decisive action” would be taken to stabilise the situation in Rostov-on-Don, a southern city where Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces had taken control of all military installations.
Mr Putin said in his address to the nation that as Russian president and commander in chief “I will do everything possible to defend my country”.
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“And those who have organised an armed rebellion will be held accountable. Those who have been drawn into this, I call on you to stop your criminal actions. What we’re facing now is treason. Personal interests have led to the betrayal of our country and the cause that our armed forces are fighting,” Mr Putin said.
Russia’s FSB security service has opened a criminal case for armed mutiny against Mr Prigozhin after the head of the Wagner mercenary group accused the Russian military of targeting his forces and vowed to “destroy” his rivals.
In an extraordinary series of audio clips released late on Friday, Mr Prigozhin claimed that a rocket attack in the Russian region of Rostov had killed scores of his fighters, vowing to take “revenge” and “stop the evil brought by the military leadership of the country”.
The FSB said Prigozhin’s statements and actions were “in fact a call to start an armed civil conflict on the territory of the Russian Federation and a stab in the back to Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces”.
It urged Wagner fighters “not to make irreparable mistakes, to stop any forceful actions against the Russian people, not to carry out the criminal and treacherous orders of Prigozhin, and to take measures to detain him”.
Mr Prigozhin said in a new video message that all military sites in the Russian city of Rostov are under the Wagner mercenary group’s control, Reuters reported.
The Wagner chief also said in the video, which was posted to Telegram, that he and his men are in the southern district military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don. Mr Prigozhin said that does not impede Russia’s conduct of what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Early on Saturday, Mr Prigozhin had released another voice message in which he claimed, without offering any evidence, that his forces had left Ukraine and were entering the southern Russian city.
“Right now we have crossed all the border points ... The border guards greeted us and hugged our fighters. Now we are entering Rostov,” he said. “If anyone gets in our way, we will destroy everything ... We extend our hand to everyone. We move forward, we are going all the way!”
Mr Prigozhin claimed in an audio message that Wagner shot down a Russian helicopter that opened fire on the convoy near Rostov. He did not provide evidence.
Security measures have been strengthened in Moscow, with critical facilities taken under increased protection, Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing law enforcement agencies. Unconfirmed footage also appeared to show military vehicles on the streets of the Russian capital.
Emergency protocols were also implemented in Rostov, involving the full mobilisation of the local security services, according to several Telegram channels linked to security service.
Pictures published by local media showed armour vehicles appearing on the streets. Baza, a Telegram channel linked to Russian security services, reported that helicopters were seen flying over Rostov.
Gen Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russia’s Ukraine campaign, released a video address ordering the mercenaries to remain loyal to Mr Putin. “I urge you to stop,” said Gen Surovikin, who was previously understood to be close to Mr Prigozhin.
“The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to worsen in our country.”
Britain’s defence ministry said on Saturday that the Russian state was facing its greatest security challenge of recent times, following what it said appeared to be a move by Wagner Group mercenary forces towards Moscow.
“Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia’s security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out,” Britain’s defence ministry said in a regular intelligence update.
“This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times,” it added.
Britain said Wagner Group forces had crossed from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine to Russia in at least two locations, and had “almost certainly” occupied key security sites in Rostov-on-Don, including the headquarters which runs Russian military operations in Ukraine.
“Further Wagner units are moving north through Voronezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow,” Britain said.
“With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner,” the defence ministry added.
Earlier on Friday, Mr Prigozhin had accused Moscow’s leadership of lying to the public about the justifications for invading Ukraine.
He dismissed Moscow’s claims that Kyiv was planning to launch an offensive on the Russian-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine in February 2022, saying: “The ministry of defence is trying to deceive the public and the president and spin the story that there was insane levels of aggression from the Ukrainian side and that they were going to attack us together with the whole Nato block.”
Elsewhere, Ukrainian authorities reported explosions in the capital, Kyiv, and the eastern city of Kharkiv early on Saturday, with the country going on high alert in the face of new Russian missile strikes.
On Friday, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces has confirmed for the first time that the main force of his offensive reserve is yet to be committed into battle with Russia, saying: “Everything is still ahead.”
Speaking to the Guardian from a military base in east Ukraine, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said the Russian general staff had anticipated where Ukraine’s forces were at their most dangerous but issued a warning to the Kremlin that he was hunting down the lethal weakness in their lines. – Guardian