Vladimir Putin, about the revolt of the Wagner group: "It is a betrayal and a blow in the back. The organizers will be punished"
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a TV speech in which he accused Yevgeny Prigozhin of treason after the mercenaries of the Wagner group took control of the military command in Rostov-on-Don.
The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, appealed to "the Russians, the military and law enforcement agencies and those who were pushed down the path of armed rebellion by deception and threats." He called the Wagner group's actions "a stab in the back" and compared the situation to October 1917. "We faced betrayal, exorbitant ambitions led to the betrayal of Russia," Putin said.
"Any internal rebellion is a fatal threat to our statehood, to us as a nation. It is a blow to Russia, to our people. And our defense against this threat will be tough. All those who consciously stepped on the path of treason, who organized the rebellion and chose blackmail and terrorist methods will be punished imminently, will answer to the law and the people," the Kremlin leader said.
Putin noted that the armed forces and other government structures have received appropriate orders, and anti-terrorist measures have been taken in Moscow and other Russian cities.
The Kremlin leader admitted that the situation in Rostov-on-Don remains complicated, as the activity of the military and civil administration bodies is practically blocked there. However, he assured that "determined measures to stabilize the situation in Rostov-on-Don" will be taken. "As president, supreme commander, as a citizen, I will take all measures to defend the country, the constitutional order, life, security and freedom of citizens," the Kremlin leader concluded.
We recall that on Friday evening, the head of the Russian mercenaries Yevgeny Prigozhin declared that he wanted to remove the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense due to its alleged incompetence and posted videos of him and his fighters in the southern Russian city of Rostov, where the Russian army has one of its general headquarters.
The leader of the Wagner paramilitary group said it had taken control of military sites, including an airfield, in this key hub for Russia's assault on Ukraine. Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday to mercenary fighters in the Wagner Group that they had been "deceived and dragged into criminal activity" by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The Investigative Committee of Russia has announced that the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia has legally and reasonably initiated a criminal case against Yevgeny Prigozhin in accordance with Article 279 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on organizing an armed rebellion. This offense is punishable by 12 to 20 years in prison.
