Moscow [Russia], June 25: The chief of mercenary group Wagner said in a surprise announcement on Saturday that his troops were turning back to avoid spilling blood. "We are turning our columns around and going back to field camps," Yevgeny Prigozhin announced after vowing to march on Moscow to topple the military leadership. He said he understood the importance of the moment and did not want to "spill Russian blood." The mercenaries had advanced north towards Moscow after seizing a key military base Saturday, just as Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin vowed to defeat the revolt and head off the threat of civil war.
The rapidly escalating events mark the most serious challenge yet to the Russian president's rule - and Russia's most serious security crisis since the strongman came to power in late 1999. Putin's spokesman insisted the Russian leader was still at work in the Kremlin and had not fled Moscow, as regular forces launched a "counterterrorist operation" to halt the rebel advance in the Voronezh region, on the Wagner force's route to the capital. The governor of the Lipetsk region, whose capital is just 420 km south of Moscow, said Wagner's private military force was "moving across" the territory and urged civilians not to leave their homes.
Kuwait's embassy in Russia urged citizens there to exert caution and follow official authorities' instructions. Citizens in Russia are advised to call the emergency number 0079256311313 for inquiries or in case of emergency, Kuwait's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. In the capital, the mayor urged Muscovites to stay indoors and declared Monday a day off work. "The situation is difficult. I ask you to refrain from travelling around the city as much as possible," Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement, warning of possible road closures.
Ukrainian leaders, meanwhile, reveled in the outbreak of in-fighting among its Russian foes, with a deputy defense minister describing it as a "window of opportunity" for Kyiv's latest counteroffensive to rid its territory of Russian forces. Kyiv's top general, Valery Zaluzhny talked to US chairman of the joint chiefs General Mark Milley and told him that Ukraine's counteroffensive "was going according to plan". The Russian foreign ministry retorted that it would achieve all the goals set for what it calls the "special military operation" would be achieved, and warned the West against trying to exploit the revolt for "Russo-phobic goals".
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, once a close Putin ally, said his troops had taken control of the military command center and airbase in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve center of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, and vowed to topple Moscow's top military leaders. "We got to Rostov. Without a single shot we captured the HQ building," he said, in an audio message on social media channels, claiming that local civilians had welcomed the operation. "Why does the country support us? Because we went on a march of justice," he said, claiming his men had not killed any soldiers despite having been hit with strikes from army "artillery and after that from helicopters".
Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prighozin - whose private army provided shock troops for Moscow's offensive in Ukraine - of a "stab in the back" that posed a threat to Russia's very survival. "Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and to our people," Putin said, demanding national unity. "Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason," Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who built his powerbase as a catering contractor to the Kremlin and now runs a private military force. "All those who consciously stood on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, before the law and before our people," Putin vowed.
The FSB security service accused Prigozhin of attempting to launch a "civil conflict" and urged Wagner fighters to detain him. Another Putin ally, Chechen strongman RamzanKadyrov, declared that he had dispatched his own units to help quash the Wagner rebellion. "Defense ministry and National Guard fighters of the Chechen Republic have already left for the zones of tension," Kadyrov said on Telegram. "The rebellion must be put down, and if harsh measures are necessary, we are ready!" Belarus also backed Moscow in the conflict. "Any provocation, any internal conflict in military or political circles, in the information field or in civil society is a gift to the collective West," the Belarusian foreign ministry said.
Latvia announced that it was tightening security on its Russian border and would not admit refugees fleeing the chaos. Inside Ukraine, emergency services said that three people were killed and nearly a dozen injured in Kyiv after what authorities said was an overnight barrage of 40 Russian cruise missiles and at least two attack drones. After Putin's speech accusing him of treason, Prigozhin launched a second broadside. "On treason of the motherland: The president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland," Prigozhin said. "Nobody plans to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else." Russia's headquarters in Rostov-on-Don is a key logistical base for its offensive in Ukraine.
Watching events unfold in Russia as his own forces conduct a slow-moving counteroffensive, Ukraine's President VolodymyrZelensky said the revolt showed Russia's was failing. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness," he said. "And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious, that Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos." Armed Wagner fighters deployed around administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks could be seen in the city center.
As the insurrection force headed north through Voronezh and Lipetsk towards Moscow, the capital's mayor announced that "anti-terrorist" measures were being taken. Critical facilities were "under reinforced protection", TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source. While Prigozhin's outfit fought at the forefront of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, in recent months it has engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow's military leadership. He has repeatedly blamed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths. - Agencies
Source: Kuwait Times