Russian mercenary group Wagner that had been fighting in Ukraine has now stabbed President Putin in the back with mutiny and claims it has seized the Russian southern city of Rostov-on-Don.
Forces from Wagner Group have reportedly crossed the border and stormed back into Russia, demanding the removal of the nation’s defense minister, New York Post reports.
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has called for an armed rebellion and threatened to rush Moscow in order to oust the minister who he accused of ordering the bombing of his war camps in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has called for his arrest on mutiny charges in response.
According to the BBC, the governor of the Rostov region, Vasiliy Golubev, took to Telegram to urge people to stand with Putin amid the mutiny.
“There have been times in the history of Russia when some wanted to separate our society and stoke the flames of civil war… it led to a catastrophe,” said Governor Golubev.
“This cannot be allowed to happen again. The Rostov region sides with the President! Dear fellow countrymen, we must be united!” he adds.
President Putin reportedly made a televised speech calling the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary force “high treason” and a “stab in the back”.
He appealed for unity and said authorities were acting quickly to contain the situation.
In his reply to Putin’s TV address, Wagner boss Prigozhin was defiant, vowing to end “corruption, lies and bureaucracy” in Russia, as reported by BBC.
On Saturday, Prigozhin said his 25,000 soldiers had stormed into Rostov-on-Don — home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region that oversees the fighting in Ukraine.