Appearing to defuse a growing crisis with Moscow, Wagner group head Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his mercenaries Saturday to stop their advances toward the Russian capital and return to their field camps in Ukraine.
Prigozhin said he wanted to avoid shedding Russian blood. He didn’t say whether the Kremlin has responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.
This is a breaking story; please check back for updates.
Russian mercenary fighters were seen passing the Russian city of Voronezh, rapidly advancing toward Moscow Saturday after they apparently took control of Rostov-on-Don, a city of more than a million people close to the border with Ukraine.
In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia's entire invasion force, residents milled about, recording on mobile phones, as Wagner Group mercenary fighters in armored vehicles and battle tanks took up positions, Reuters reported.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that his fighters entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don without a shot fired and that no one was killed during what he calls a “march of justice.” His claims could not be verified.
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush what he called an armed mutiny, which he compared to Russia's Civil War a century ago.
A Reuters journalist saw Russian army helicopters open fire at an armed Wagner column, with troop carriers and at least one tank on a flatbed truck, while advancing past the city of Voronezh. The city is about 520 kilometers south of Moscow.
In Moscow, there was increased security on the streets. Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers.
"Excessive ambitions and vested interests have led to treason," Putin said in a televised address, comparing the insurrection at a time of war abroad to Russia's revolution and a civil war unleashed during World War One.
Putin warned Wagner Group mercenaries Saturday that armed mutiny is treason and anyone who takes up arms against Russia would be punished.
"All 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” said Putin, calling the Wagner group’s action a “stab in the back.”
A defiant Prigozhin swiftly replied that he and his men had no intention of turning themselves in.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had spoken by phone with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and “informed his counterparts of the situation.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a tweet that he offered Putin support and was ready to help resolve the standoff between Russia and the Wagner Group.
US, allies' reactions
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the EU to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia, according to a statement issued Saturday by the State Department.
Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change, and added that the U.S. will stay in close coordination with allies and partners as the situation continues to develop.
British officials said Saturday they are monitoring the situation in Russia.
"Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia’s security forces and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," Britain’s Defense Ministry said in a tweet.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter, "Anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys themselves. ... For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it.”
Criminal investigation
On Friday, Russia's Federal Security Services (FSB) opened a criminal investigation Friday against Prigozhin, accusing him of armed mutiny, citing the National Anti-Terrorism Committee.
The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, according to Russia’s chief prosecutor.
The NAC, which is part of the FSB, insisted there is no basis to the allegations made by Prigozhin earlier Friday that the Russian Ministry of Defense conducted an airstrike against Wagner bases, killing 2,000 of his fighters.
Prigozhin accused the Russian military, acting on the orders of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, of shelling his troops’ positions in Ukraine.
"The Minister of Defense arrived specially in Rostov to carry out an operation to destroy the Wagner PMC (private military company)," he wrote on his Telegram social media channel.
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
