Russian President Vladimir Putin says that ‘armed rebellion by the forces of the Wagner group is treason and whoever takes up arms against the Russian army will be punished.’

The Russian president said in an emergency televised address on Saturday that he would do everything to protect Russia and take “decisive action” to stabilize the situation in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, according to Reuters. will be done

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagons, claimed that his forces had taken control of all military installations in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.

Russia’s paramilitary group “Wagner” has announced a coup against the Russian military leadership, while on the other hand, the security forces have demanded the immediate arrest of the group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

According to the Associated Press news agency, security has been increased in Rostov-on-Don, home to the Russian military headquarters for Moscow and the southern region.

The whole situation is likely to further hamper Moscow’s war effort as Kiev’s forces probe Russian defenses in the early stages of a counter-offensive.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner group, has criticized the Russian Defense Ministry for planning to kill its own soldiers, an alleged missile attack that killed Wagner soldiers.

Prigozhin claimed on Saturday that his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and reached Rostov.

The statement also said that they did not face any resistance from the jawans at the checkpoints and that their forces “will not fight against the children but we will destroy anyone who stands in our way.” .’

“We are moving forward and will go till the end,” he said in a video and audio recording posted on social media on Friday.

Prigozhin also said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but this could not be independently confirmed.

Despite Yevgeny Prigozhin’s statements that Wagner’s convoys had entered Rostov-on-Don, this has yet to be confirmed on Russian social networks.

Videos show heavy trucks parked on highways leading to the city and long convoys of National Guard trucks on a road outside Rostov-on-Don while armored vehicles roll through the streets.

Prigozhin says Wagner’s field camps in Ukraine were hit by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery, after which he decided to destroy Wagner on Gerasimov’s orders after a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. .

Wagner’s forces have played a major role in Russia’s war in Ukraine and have succeeded in capturing the city of Bakhmut, where some of the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. However, Yevgeny Prigozhin has criticized Russia’s military leadership, accusing them of incompetence, saying they are “hungry for weapons and ammunition.”

Prigozhin, who has 25,000 troops in his group, said on Friday that his troops would punish Shoigu for an armed coup and urged the army not to resist. ‘This is not a military coup, but a march for justice.’