Local media in Rostov-on-Don and the TASS news agency published videos and photographs of gunmen and armored vehicles taken in the city on the morning of June 24. The Russian state news agency TASS calls the people mercenaries of the Wagner PMC.
Later, a video appeared in which the head of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin, apparently, near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov, surrounded by armed people, communicates with people in military uniforms similar to the Deputy Minister of Russian Defense Federation Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alekseev.
In this video, broadcast by telegram channels associated with Wagner’s PMC, Prigozhin states that he “wants to get the Chief of the General Staff and Shoigu”. “Until they leave, we are here, blockading the city of Rostov and going to Moscow.”
Independent confirmation of the reliability of the video, the time and place of its recording have not yet appeared.
As local edition 161.ru reports, the buildings of the headquarters of the southern military district, the headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB department, the administration and one of the police departments were locked up in Rostov.
Earlier, photos of armored vehicles on the streets of Rostov-on-Don, taken on the night of June 24, appeared in news agencies and local media.
Evgeny Prigozhin began posting voicemails that units of Wagner’s PMC had crossed the state border from Russia and were “entering Rostov” on the evening of June 23. According to him, border guards and conscripts did not hinder the advance of his columns, but, on the contrary, greeted them with hugs.
In addition, Prigozhin said that the Russian General Staff gave the order to raise the planes and open fire on the Wagner PMC columns, but the pilots, according to him, refused to perform this task. Later, Prigozhin said that one of the helicopters that opened fire on the convoy was shot down by Wagner PMC crews. There was no photo or video evidence of his words.
There are reports from Rostov-on-Don and the Krasnodar Territory that public surveillance cameras have stopped working there. Local publications wrote that entrances to Rostov-on-Don were blocked, helicopters were lifted into the air and military equipment was withdrawn. Also reported was the overlapping of the federal highway M4 “Don”.
At around 5 a.m. Moscow time on Saturday, the Voronezh region government informed residents that “a convoy of military equipment is moving along the M-4 Don highway” and asked citizens to temporarily refrain from traveling along the highway. The Voronezh authorities did not specify the identity of the column.
On Friday, June 23, Prigozhin said Russian regular troops launched rocket attacks on the rear of his units and there were many casualties. There is no proof of this, and the video he posted has been branded as fake both in Russian state media and in the independent press. Prigozhin said Wagner was launching an armed campaign against Russia in order to punish the country’s military rulers. He called it “the march of justice”.
The Russian Defense Ministry called Prigozhin’s messages a provocation.
Russian generals urged Wagner’s fighters to refuse to carry out Prigozhin’s orders. The FSB of Russia announced the initiation of criminal proceedings against Prigozhin under the article on incitement to armed rebellion. Enhanced security measures have been introduced in the Rostov region, Moscow and several other regions of Russia. The governor of the Rostov region urged citizens not to leave their homes.
US President Joe Biden has been briefed on developments in Russia and Ukraine, National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said on Friday evening, who said: “We are monitoring the situation and will consult with our allies and partners regarding these developments”.
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