President Vladimir Putin vowed Saturday to defend Russia against an armed rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key city south of Moscow.
Meanwhile, the governor of Russia's Lipetsk province said Saturday that thehas entered the region, which is about 360 kilometers south of Moscow, where authorities"are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population," said regional Gov. Igor Artamonov, via Telegram.
Prigozhin called himself a patriot and said his fighters would not surrender, as"we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy." Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts as they crossed into Russia, saying his troops"aren't fighting against children."
Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner, Prigozhin said. He said Wagner's forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation.The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin contracts that earned him the nickname"Putin's chef.
In this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed Volodin's sentiment and said in a Telegram post that"we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One."
, where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized Russia's military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition.
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