On Saturday, armed men in uniform appeared on the central street of Rostov-on-Don. Wagner’s units entered the city. There are snipers on the roofs and in the windows of the houses. There are grenade launchers and mines in car trunks. Streets and alleys were turned into fortified gun emplacement.
All day on June 24, Rostov-on-Don was at the epicenter of events. Detachments of “Wagner” captured and cordoned off the headquarters of the Southern Military District, located in the city. Armored vehicles were fired towards the center. Several times during the day, sounds of gunfire and explosions were heard. Entrances and exits of the city blocked.
But at the same time, the city continued to live its own life as best it could. Stocks of medicines and food have been set up for normal operation. Transport both in the city and in the suburbs worked on time. Rescuers helped people stuck in traffic jams due to exit problems and the abundance of military equipment.
Local authorities have strongly recommended not to leave their homes and not to go to the city center unless absolutely necessary. Events scheduled for this weekend have been cancelled. A huge crowd had gathered at the city’s train station. Many have left town. However, there was no panic.
Meanwhile, to regain control, the columns of the Ahmad Battalion approach Rostov-on-Don. At one point, the situation almost reached a peak. The soldiers of the PMC “Wagner” began to clean the streets of the city from people, preparing for a clash. And it was only through negotiations that much bloodshed was averted.
The situation was really extremely tense and I don’t even want to think about what could happen if the Russian Guard and Ahmad entered the city, started suppressing the rebellion by force and entered the battle with the Wagnerians. Stopped at the edge. Already on Saturday evening, as soon as the agreements reached were known, Wagner’s fighters began to roll and remove equipment to their field camps.
Rostov residents greeted the news of peace with applause and jubilation. And we must pay tribute to the Rostovites. During the day, when everything was not yet clear, they did not panic, remained calm and, moreover, directly asked the Wagnerians questions: why are they not at the front now? And why don’t they follow the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief?
Closer to the onset of darkness, the tank left its combat post at the gates of the Rostov Circus. And on the rolling line of the Rostov-Arena appeared the inscription “We are all one people and we are fighting with an external enemy. We believe in the Russian people and our president.
About what happened on June 24 in the city blocked by the VChK “Wagner”, see the story of the correspondent of “Zvezda” Vitaly Nikulin for the program “The main thing with Olga Belova”.
Read the Russia Ukraine War on The Eastern Herald.
