https://youtu.be/7U7K0YSmgCI
In the above video that appeared on Telegram on Saturday showed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin meeting with Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and deputy chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alexeyev.
Wagner forces head to Moscow as tanks are spotted on highways and oil depot goes up in flames as militia’s chief Prigozhin mocks Putin call for ‘traitors’ to give themselves up
- Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday declared his 25,000-strong force is in control of Rostov-on-Don and described his soldiers as ‘patriots’
- Putin responded by calling his actions a ‘betrayal’ of Russia as he appealed for soldiers to put their weapons
- Prigozhin made the move in fury at what he claimed was Moscow’s attack on his men, and said he intends to march to Moscow to take on defense chiefs
Russia’s Wagner militia forces are headed towards Moscow on Saturday after chief Yevgney Prigozhin initiated a military coup against Putin and his regime, which has seen the group take key cities and mock the President, who called them ‘traitors’ Moscow is on lockdown as troops dig in in preparation to defend the city. Prigozhin and his feared 25,000-strong Wagner militia have control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, saying they are ‘ready to die’ as they vow revenge for a military strike from Putin’s forces that the mercenary leader says killed some of his men. The unit passed through the halfway city of Voronezh and have reached Lipetsk as they advance on Moscow, seeing negligible resistance. A huge oil depot was seen bursting into flames in the city, with a helicopter in the air at the time. Footage on social media has shown large convoys of troops heading north from Voronezh, thought to be Wagner mercenaries. They are also said to be on their way to other key cities including Krasnodar and Volgograd. Russia has responded by increasing security in Moscow, mobilising troops who are set to defend against the incursion, and calling for the military to rally around President Putin.
A message posted on the Wagner Telegram channel on Saturday said: ‘Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president.’
Prigozhin, who was once a confidant of Vladimir Putin before declaring war on Moscow’s military leadership last night, said in a video that the highest ranking officer at the command post had fled as soon as he learned that Wagner forces were approaching.
A Russian security source said Wagner fighters had also taken control of military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km (310 miles) south of Moscow. This would be significant as it marks the halfway point between Rostov and Moscow.
The governor of Russia’s Voronezh region said on Saturday that the army was taking ‘necessary military measures’ in the region as part of a counter-terrorist operation declared after an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group. It is also being claimed that Wagner troops are on the outskirts of two other southern cities, Krasnodar and Volgograd – but this has not been verified. Pro-Putin forces on the outskirts of Moscow were meanwhile seen digging in against the Wagner coup army heading towards the capital. Multiple reports claimed Putin had left Moscow on Saturday afternoon, despite officials saying he was working in the Kremlin. A presidential plane linked to Vladimir Putin flew north from Moscow towards Tver before switching off its transponder, live flight data showed. Other business jets were seen making an exodus from the capital towards St Petersburg. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Russian military boss Shoigu in an armed rebellion, urging the army not to offer resistance: ‘This is not a military coup, but a march of justice.’ There were also claims that the 22nd GRU military intelligence special forces detachment went over to Prigozhin’s side. Wagner was meanwhile reported to have seized key military sites in Voronezh region as they progressed towards Moscow. Pro-Putin soldiers have set up road blocks on the way to Moscow and eyewitnesses have reported air strikes on the Wagner convoy heading north. NN: This is a big shit.. The fall of Putin may be in progress. This has serious disruptive market significant. I will be publishing a lot on this. AI and the news bots do not know how to analyze the market implications since their is nothing in their archive files they derive their artificial stupidness from.