Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to take “decisive actions” Saturday to halt what he described as a treasonous, armed rebellion by the head of the Wagner mercenary group.
Putin made the comments in a televised addressed after Yevgeny Prigozhin vowed to “go all the way” to Moscow to topple Russia’s military leadership. The Wagner group is a private military army that’s been fighting alongside Russia’s regular army in Ukraine, but tensions over how the war has been fought have been building for months.
On Friday, Prigozhin accused Moscow of launching a military strike on his troops. He did not provide evidence. Prigozhin claimed Saturday his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and had reached Rostov-on-Don, home to Russia’s military headquarters for the southern region that oversees the fighting in Ukraine.
Prigozhin claimed that his forces had military facilities in the city under their control, including the air field. Videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets.
In his address, which lasted about five minutes, Putin described the apparent mutiny as “a stab in the back of our country and our people.” He vowed to punish those responsible. He did not mention Prigozhin by name.
