Global Courant
After calling for an armed uprising to remove Russia’s defense minister, Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin announced Saturday morning that he and his troops had reached the city of Rostov-on-Don.
According to The Associated Press, Prigozhin posted a video on social media confirming his arrival in the city, which is home to the Russian military headquarters overseeing the war in Ukraine.
In the video, he claimed his troops had taken control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don, including the airport. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles and tanks on the street.
It wasn’t immediately clear how he entered the city, which is under heightened security after Prigozhin’s threat, or how many troops he brought with him.
RUSSIAN MILITARY LATER THREATS KREMLIN MILITARY OFFICIALS FOR ALLEGED ATTACK ON ITS TROOPS: REPORT
Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed in a video posted to social media on Saturday that his troops had entered the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don from Ukraine. (AP)
Despite Wagner playing a vital role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Prigozhin has been feuding with the Defense Ministry, accusing Russian military officials of starving his troops with weapons and ammunition.
In a series of angry video and audio recordings on Friday, Prigozhin accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a missile strike against the private military contractor’s field camps where the group fights in Ukraine on behalf of Russia.
“This is not a military coup, but a march of justice,” Prigozhin declared. “The evil embodied by the country’s military leaders must be stopped.”
Prigozhin then referred to Shoigu as “scum” and said he “will be held back”.
RUSSIA OPENS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF WAGNER GROUP CHIEF
Yevgeny Prigozhin has accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (right) of ordering a missile attack on the private military contractor’s field camps in Ukraine, where the group fights on behalf of Russia. (AP)
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According to the state news agency Taas, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, part of the Federal Security Services, will open a criminal investigation into Prigozhin on charges of inciting an armed insurrection. The report states that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been kept informed of the situation.
Moscow appeared to be taking the threat seriously, as the National Guard and riot police were sent to secure key facilities in Moscow, including transportation infrastructure and government agencies, Taas said.
Adam Sabes of Fox News Digital and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
