Is fall of Moscow near?
\nPresident Putin declared his determination to suppress this armed uprising
\nmoscow
\nRussian military helicopters Saturday afternoon engaged in a firefight with a rebel convoy comprising mercenaries who had made significant progress towards Moscow after capturing a southern city overnight, Reuters reported.
\nPresident Vladimir Putin declared his determination to suppress this armed uprising, drawing a parallel to Russia\u2019s Civil War that took place a century ago.
\nYevgeny Prigozhin\u2019s private militia, known as the Wagner group, had gained control over Rostov-on-Don, a city located near the Ukraine border with a population exceeding one million. They swiftly pushed northward through western Russia, making substantial advancements.
\nA Reuters journalist saw army helicopters open fire at an armed Wagner column that was advancing past the city of Voronezh with troop carriers and at least one tank on a flatbed truck. The city is more than halfway along the 1,100-km (680-mile) highway from Rostov to Moscow.
\nPrigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the top brass, said he had captured the headquarters of Russia\u2019s Southern Military District in Rostov after leading his forces into Russia from Ukraine.
\nIn Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia\u2019s entire invasion force, residents milled about, filming on mobile phones, as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions.
\nOne tank was wedged between stucco buildings with posters advertising the circus. Another had \u201cSiberia\u201d daubed in red paint across the front, a clear statement of intent to sweep across the breadth of Russia.
\nIn Moscow, there was an increased security presence on the streets. Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers.
\n\u201cExcessive ambitions and vested interests have led to treason,\u201d Putin said in a televised address, comparing the insurrection at a time of war abroad to Russia\u2019s revolution and civil war unleashed during World War One.
\n\u201cAll those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people.\u201d
\nA defiant Prigozhin swiftly replied that he and his men had no intention of turning themselves in.
\n\u201cThe president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it,\u201d Prigozhin said in an audio message. \u201cWe don\u2019t want the country to continue to live in corruption and deceit.\u201d
\nIn a series of hectic messages overnight, Prigozhin demanded Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov come to see him in Rostov.
\nWestern capitals said they were closely following the situation in nuclear-armed Russia. The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed.
\n\u201cThis represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times,\u201d Britain\u2019s defence ministry said.
\n\u201cOver the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia\u2019s security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out.\u201d
\nPutin\u2019s grip on power may depend on whether he can muster enough loyal troops to combat the mercenaries at a time when most of Russia\u2019s military is deployed at the front in southern and eastern Ukraine.
\nThe insurrection also risks leaving Russia\u2019s invasion force in Ukraine in disarray, just as Kyiv is launching its strongest counteroffensive since the war began in February last year.
\n\u201cRussia\u2019s weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness,\u201d Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote in a social media message. \u201cAnd the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Is fall of Moscow near? President Putin declared his determination to suppress this armed uprising moscow Russian military helicopters Saturday afternoon engaged in a firefight with a rebel convoy comprising mercenaries who had made significant progress towards Moscow after capturing a southern city overnight, Reuters reported. President Vladimir Putin declared his determination to suppress this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-339787","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n