Putin pledges to crush ‘armed mutiny’ by mercenaries

A Wagner group mercenary stands guard in a street in Rostov-on-Don on Saturday. (Photo: AFP) MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Saturday that an “armed mutiny” by the Wagner Group mercenary force was treason, and that anybody who hadactually taken up arms versus the Russian military would be penalized. Not long after he spoke in a unusual emergencysituation telecasted address, Russian military helicopters opened fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries currently more than midway towards Moscow in a lightning advance after taking a southern city overnight. In Moscow, there was an increased security existence on the streets. Red Square was obstructed off by metal barriers. Internet limitations hadactually been enforced and more security procedures were being thoughtabout. Putin stated he would do whatever to safeguard Russia, and that “decisive action” would be taken to stabilise the circumstance in Rostov-on-Don, the city about 1,100km south of Moscow where Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin stated his forces hadactually taken control of all military setups. “This is a stab in a back to our nation, to our country,” Putin stated in an address to the country. “What we haveactually been dealtwith with is precisely betrayal. Extravagant aspirations and individual interests led to treason,” Putin stated, referring to Prigozhin. “All those who purposely stood on the course of betrayal, who ready an equipped disobedience, stood on the course of blackmail and terrorist approaches, will suffer unavoidable penalty, priorto the law and priorto our individuals.” Putin spoke after Prigozhin stated he had crossed into Russia and took control of a essential military headoffice, swearing to fall Moscow’s military management and stating he and his 25,000 fighters were “ready to passaway”. Prigozhin, 62, stated his forces, who haveactually led much of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, had wentinto Rostov-on-Don and regulated its military websites. “We are inside the (army) headoffice, it is 7: 30am,” he stated in a video published on Telegram. “Military websites in Rostov, consistingof an aerodrome, are under control,” he included. Russia’s military headoffice in Rostov-on-Don are a secret logistical base for its offensive in Ukraine. Prigozhin stated aircrafts taking part in the Ukraine offending “are leaving as regular” from the airfield, and called on Russians not to think what they were being informed on state tv. “A big quantity of area is lost. Soldiers haveactually been eliminated 3, 4 times more than it states in files revealed to the leading (leadership).” Videos and photos published online, consistingof by the TASS state-run news firm, revealed armed guys surrounding administrative structures in Rostov and tanks released in the city centre. It was not clear who the equipped males were. (Story continues listedbelow) A truck carrying a Wagner group armedforce automobile drives north along highway M-4 near Voronezh, about 600km north of Rostov-on-Don where the mercenaries were apparently in cont
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