Reports out of Moscow indicate that the Russian government has begun to fortify the capital. In Rostov, regional Gov. Vasily Golubev published a message on Telegram telling civilians to “keep calm and not leave home without need,” according to the Russian state outlet RT. Reports circulating throughout Telegram, Twitter, and other social media outlets indicated the potential presence of Wagner fighters in the Rostov region generally, but most alleged video or photo evidence was undated and unverified.
The ongoing crisis began on Friday with the publication of a video in which Prigozhin accused Shoigu, the defense minister, of ordering an attack on his positions in Ukraine that allegedly killed 2,000 Wagner militants.
“Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance,” Prigozhin reportedly said, according to a translation by NBC News. Wagner-affiliated accounts on Telegram reportedly circulated unverified videos claiming to show the aftermath of a Russian missile attack on Wagner.
A separate translation by the Associated Press similarly noted that Prigozhin had vowed to march into Moscow with 25,000 fighters but insisted, “This is not a military coup, but a march of justice.”
Prigozhin claimed in a subsequent message to already be in Rostov, alleging that Russian forces had not attempted to prevent the Wagner contingent’s passage.
The Russian government called allegations of an alleged Russian attack on Wagner “entirely unfounded.”
In another message, Prigozhin condemned the Ukrainian invasion itself as a ploy by senior leaders in the Russian Defense Ministry to appear competent and heroic.
“The war was needed … so that [Defense Minister Sergei] Shoigu could become a marshal … so that he could get a second ‘Hero’ [of Russia] medal,” Prigozhin reportedly said, according to NBC News. “The war wasn’t needed to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine.”