Rumors about restrictions on road traffic to and from Moscow are untrue, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on his official Telegram channel on June 24. He also called on Muscovites and visitors in the city to remain calm.
“There have been reports of traffic restrictions on roads leading into and out of the city. This is not true. There may be traffic jams due to tighter security. But there are no restrictions on entry and exit,” Sobyanin said, urging Muscovites to trust only official sources.
“I call on you to remain calm. As President Putin stressed in his speech, our strength today lies in the unity and consolidation of society,” Sobyanin said.
Earlier in the day, the mayor of Moscow announced that anti-terrorist measures were being implemented in the city and additional road controls had been introduced. Similar measures were taken in the greater Moscow Region by Governor Andrey Vorobyov. The Russian Transport Ministry said inter-regional buses from Moscow to southern destinations may be delayed or canceled.
Previously announced major events have been canceled in Moscow, but all city services remain operational and movement around the city is unimpeded, Sobyanin said.
Fighters from the Wagner private military group stand guard on a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. Photo: 9News
On the evening of June 23, several audio recordings were posted on the Telegram channel of the founder of the Wagner Private Military Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Specifically, Mr. Prigozhin claimed that his units had been attacked and blamed the country's military leadership.
In connection with these statements, the Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case on calls for armed uprising. The Russian Defense Ministry has denied allegations that it carried out attacks on Wagner's field camps in Ukraine.
The FSB's public relations center called on employees of the private military company to disobey Prigozhin's orders and take measures to seek his detention.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation about the actions of the Wagner group, June 24, 2023. Photo: The Sun Daily
Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech to the nation on June 24 described Wagner's actions as an armed mutiny and treason, and said that measures against the troublemakers would be severe.
This is potentially the biggest domestic crisis the Russian president has faced since he launched a military operation in neighboring Ukraine.
For his part, Mr Prigozhin – a former prisoner and longtime ally of Putin – denies that he is trying to stage a military coup.
On June 24, Wagner said he had captured the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District after leading his forces into Russia from Ukraine. The city is a key logistics hub for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
Wagner fighters were seen on armored vehicles and giant battle tanks taking up positions in the city center.
The head of the Wagner private military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said in a video on June 24, 2023 that he and his men were in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Photo: Nikkei Asia
Prigozhin meets with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov at the headquarters of the Southern Military District of the Russian armed forces, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. Photo: Nikkei Asia
A Russian security source told Reuters that Wagner fighters had also taken control of military facilities in the city of Voronezh, further north on the road to Moscow.
“We have arrived here in Rostov, we want to meet with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Unless they come, we will stay here, we will blockade Rostov and head towards Moscow,” Prigozhin said in a video from Russia’s Southern Military District headquarters.
Russian army Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev made a video appeal asking Mr Prigozhin to reconsider his actions.
“Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to infringe on his authority,” Alekseyev said .
Minh Duc (According to TASS, CGTN)
Source
Comment (0)