Russia Orders Arrest of Wagner Chief Prigozhin for 'Armed Mutiny'

MOSCOW: In an emergency address on television, Russian President Vladimir Putin termed the "armed mutiny" by the mercenary force Wagner Group as treason, and said that punishment will be given to anyone taking up arms against the Russian military.

Putin said everything will be done by him to protect Russia, and that "decisive action" is planned to make normal the situation in Rostov-on-Don, the southern city in which Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed all military installations were under control of his forces, including an aerodrome.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner private militia, declared that he and his troops had entered Russia in a bid to overthrow the military command in the country. He also said he was willing to sacrifice the lives of himself and his 25,000 soldiers.

“We are all prepared to give our lives. All of us, 25,000, and then another 25,000,” Prigozhin, the 62-year-old mercenary leader, said in a voice message. The message was made after he accused the Russian military leaders of carrying out attacks on his forces.

“We are laying down our lives for the Russian people,” said Prigozhin

Reacting to his statement, the Russian authorities increased security in several regions, even as “anti-terrorism” actions were being taken in the city early on Saturday, the Moscow mayor said.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) is blaming Prigozhin of attempts to start a “civil conflict” and called on his own Wagner fighters to capture him.Russia's security services also called for his arrest.

Taking no chances, the authorities tightened security around government buildings in Moscow, while putting the riot police on alert.

In Moscow, reinforced protection was provided to critical facilities, the state-run TASS news agency reported, while citing a source in law enforcement.

Access to Google’s news aggregator was also blocked by regulators on major platforms in Russia, an Internet monitoring group said.

This dramatic turn of events is the biggest domestic crisis faced by President Vladimir Putin since February last year, when he ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which he called a "special military operation.” However, many details remained unclear till now.

President Vladimir Putin was said to have been getting round-the-clock updates from security officials.

The Wagner private militia spearheaded by Prigozhin had been enlisted for the invasion of Ukraine by Putin. They have made major inroads and captured the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last month.

In the last few months, Prigozhin has been openly accusing defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of incompetence and denying ammunition and support to Wagner in its battles in Ukraine.

Putin had been tolerating the mercenary’s accusations, as he was relying on Wagner troops to fight in key parts of the Ukraine front. However, his high profile irked the military brass, which has been regularly trying to undermine and sideline him. The defence ministry issued a statement terming Prigozhin's accusations to be untrue and an “informational provocation," as their feud escalated.

Prigozhin denied that his actions were a military coup but his voice sometimes varied in a frenzied series of audio messages, and could not be independently verified.

He appeared to suggest that 25,000 fighters were en route to Moscow to oust the leaders of the defence establishment.

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