Evgeny Prigozhin, 62, the head of the Russian mercenary unit Wagner Group, attacked the military headquarters in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday “without a single shot” in what he called a “justice march”. claimed to have been repressed. The Associated Press reported.

According to the Associated Press, Prigogine released an audio statement that he allegedly claimed, but was unable to independently verify. report. The report said an explosion was heard near the Rostov military command before the statement was issued, but the exact location and extent of the explosion were not immediately clear.

Prigozhin’s forces are believed to have entered the Russian province of Lipetsk on Saturday night, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow and much closer to the Russian capital than Rostov-on-Don, according to reports. The governor of the Lipetsk region, Igor Artamonov, reportedly issued a statement that “the situation is under control” and asked all residents to stay indoors and avoid travel. (Related: American music manager arrested, detained in Russia on drug charges)

Another Associated Press reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation on Saturday, denouncing the rebellion as “betrayal” and “treason” without naming Prigozhin, saying, “Those who prepared the rebellion All of them will face inevitable punishment.” report.

Prigozhin responded that Putin had made a “huge mistake” in calling the rebellion a betrayal, and that Putin’s fighters were “patriots of the motherland” and that “we will continue to exist in a corrupt state.” He is said to have said that he would not surrender because he did not want to. , deception and bureaucracy,” the report said.

Russian authorities have declared an “anti-terrorism regime” in Moscow, tightening security and restricting some movements. The report said there were calls for Prigozin’s arrest following the apparent rebellion.

The incident appears to have caused a new rift between the Russian military and Wagner over the joint prosecution of the war against Ukraine. claiming. As reported by the Associated Press.Prigogine liberated Shoigu and Gerasimov were accused of withholding ammunition from Wagner and inflicting heavy casualties on the mercenaries, and were subjected to a barrage of taunts. In another article he alluded to the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. video In it, he criticized the Russian elite for killing ordinary Russians, not their own children, in the Ukraine war.he liberated A video on Friday claimed that Russia’s war on Ukraine was “necessary for the self-promotion of the bastards.”