Armed mutiny by Wagner group a stab in the back, says Putin, vows harsh response

Russian President Vladimir Putin in a televised national address on Saturday said that the “armed mutiny” by the Wagner Group is a “stab in the back” and vowed to punish those who were on the “path of treason” or anyone who takes up arms against the Russian military. Putin’s statement comes after oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, the alleged head of the Wagner mercenary group announced in a series of recordings released on social media on Saturday that his troops had taken control of military facilities in two Russian cities.
Mercenary forces captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don as well as its military facility overnight and later seized another base in Voronezh, halfway between Rostov and Moscow. Videos on social media showed Wagner troops in the town of Elets—some 400 kilometres from Moscow—barrelling towards the capital in armoured vehicles on Saturday. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin urged people to refrain from trips around the city as a counter-terrorism operation had been declared, and declared that Monday would be a non-working day—with some exceptions—in order “to minimise risks”.
Putin who is facing the first serious military challenge in his 23 years as president—addressed Russian citizens, military and security service personnel, as well as those “who have been pushed to the path of armed insurrection by deception and threats.” President Putin said, “Renegade actions against those fighting in the front is a stab in the back of our country,” and pledged a “harsh” response and punishment to those who planned “an armed rebellion.” “We will defend both our people and our statehood from any threats, including internal treachery. What we have been confronted with can be precisely called treachery. The unbounded ambitions and personal interests have led to treason and a betrayal of the country and its people.” In the address, the Russian everyone involved in the insurgency “all kinds of political adventurers and foreign forces,” and alleged that they had divided the country and “tore it apart” to profit from their own interests. The President’s statement came hours after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case into a call for an armed mutiny by the mercenary Wagner group. The FSB urged Wagner fighters not to obey Prigozhin’s orders and take measures for his detention. Putin described Wagner’s—who, prior to the rebellion, was a part of his inner circle—actions as “betrayal” and stressed that “any actions that fracture our unity” are “a stab in the back of our country and our people.” He also said that “any internal turmoil” is a “deadly threat” to Russia’s statehood and Moscow’s actions to protect the homeland. Calling the situation in Rostov “difficult,” Putin also noted that civil and military administration work had been blocked in the city. The insurrection comes after Prigozhin accused Russian forces of striking a Wagner military camp and killing “a huge amount” of his fighters. The Russian Defence Ministry has denied his claim and termed it an “information provocation.” Putin announced that armed forces have been given “necessary orders” and “decisive action” will be taken to stabilise the situation in Rostov and that additional “anti-terrorism, security measures” have been taken in Moscow and a number of other regions. On Saturday, the Wagner group released a statement on a Telegram channel that read: “Military facilities in Voronezh are taken under the control of the Wagner PMC. The army switches to the side of the people”. However, they claim that combat and medical planes were allowed to leave without issue. “All we did was to take control so that the attack aviation would not strike us but strike in the Ukrainian direction.” Russian security forces have cordoned off the building of the Wagner Center in St Petersburg and the Ministry of Defence has urged Wagner forces to “safely return to their points of permanent deployment.” Soon after news of the rebellion broke, United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken tweeted: “Spoke today with G7 Foreign Ministers and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia.
The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop.” Meanwhile both the French and Polish presidents announced that they were keeping an eye on Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron in a statement from the Elysee said that France was “monitoring the situation closely. We remain focused on supporting Ukraine.” Poland’s President Andrzej Duda took to Twitter to state: “Due to the situation in Russia, we held consultations this morning with the Prime Minister and the Ministry of National Defence, as well as with the Allies.”
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has also urged the people of Estonia not to travel to Russian regions. In a tweet Prime Minister Kallas stated, “Estonia is closely following the development of the situation in Russia and exchanging information with allies. I can assure that there is no direct threat to our country. Border security has been strengthened.”