Russian militia chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his fighters have taken control of military facilities in a strategically critical Russian city and demanded that top military officials meet him in a stunning escalation of his feud with Moscow’s security establishment over their handling of the war in Ukraine.
Prigozhin, who heads private military group Wagner, pledged to blockade the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and move on to Moscow if Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia’s top general Valery Gerasimov did not meet with him in the city, where Russia’s Southern Military District is headquartered.
The militia chief’s actions come after he accused Russian forces of striking a Wagner military camp and killing “a huge amount” of his fighters, and announced, in a series of Telegram messages Friday and Saturday, that his forces were moving into Rostov region, neighboring Russian-occupied Ukraine, ready to “destroy everything” in their way.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense denied Prigozhin’s claims of an attack on a Wagner camp, calling it an “informational provocation.”
The Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia’s domestic intelligence service, has responded to Prigozhin on Friday, urging Wagner fighters to detain their leader and opening a criminal case against the Prigozhin.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin was expected to make a speech Saturday, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, as cited by state media outlet Tass.
Prigozhin, who has frequently criticized Russia’s traditional military hierarchy, warned in his messages that retribution would be meted out for the alleged attack on his fighters.
“We will deal with those who destroy Russian soldiers and return to the front, justice for the troops will be restored, and then justice for all of Russia,” he said.
“There are 25,000 of us and we are going to find out why there is such chaos in the country. There are 25,000 of us waiting as a tactical reserve and a strategic reserve. It’s the whole army and the whole country, everyone who wants to, join us. We must end this debacle,” he said, in a radical escalation of a longstanding feud with Russia’s military leaders.
The Governor of Voronezh oblast, which lies to the north of Rostov said Saturday that “a convoy of military equipment” was on its way south.
Security measures were stepped up in Moscow Friday night. Russian intelligence official, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseev, posted a video about Prigozhin’s actions that day, describing it as a coup attempt.
“Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority. This is a coup d’etat. There is no need to do this now, because there is no greater damage to the image of Russia and to its armed forces,” he added.
Prigozhin said that his criticism of the Russian military leadership was a “march of justice” and not a coup. “This is not a military coup, this is a march of justice. Our actions do not interfere with the troops in any way,” Prigozhin said.
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