Russia-Ukraine war live: Putin warns the rebels will be ‘brought to justice’ as Russia grapples with a ‘mortal blow’
Vladimir Putin’s whereabouts have been thrown into question after an aircraft belonging to the presidency was spotted flying from Moscow to St Petersburg, according to Flight Radar.
However, his spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, denied Putin has fled the capital and told reporters the president “is working at the Kremlin”.
Wagner’s armed rebellion is racing towards Moscow after the mercenary group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin took control of the military headquarters in Russian cities Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don.
Prigozhin has said his forces have been attacked by artillery and helicopters since he launched his mutiny.
Putin said an “armed mutiny” by Yevgeny Prigozhin was treason and a “mortal blow” to Russia’s troops.
In an emergency televised address, the Russian president said anyone who had taken up arms against his military would be punished.
Prigozhin demanded Mr Shoigu and Russia’s top general Valery Gerasimov meet him in Rostov-on-Don, otherwise threatening to “blockade the city of Rostov and head for Moscow.”
Freedom of Russia Legion backs Wagner group’s coup effort
Russia Legion has long been at odds with the Wagner group but now, according to Sky, has seen an enemy’s enemy as a friend.
“On the battlefield, Prigozhin and I are enemies, but now he is telling the truth,” a statement reportedly read.
“His words show that no one will put up with corruption, dictatorship, hypocrisy.
“We hope that the war of evil against evil will weaken the repressive machine and we will liberate Russia with our brothers.”
Prigozhin, the mercenary chief urging an uprising against Russia’s generals, has long ties to Putin
Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russia’s war in Ukraine.
As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian military’s toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Mr Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against the leadership of the country’s military.
Mr Prigozhin, owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, has escalated what have been months of scathing criticism of Russia’s conduct of the war by calling Friday for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and urging Mr Prigozhin’s arrest.
In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took Mr Prigozhin’s threat, riot police and the National Guard scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. Mr Prigozhin, a onetime felon, hot-dog vendor and longtime associate of Mr Putin, urged Russians to join his “march to justice.”
