Russia accuses Prigozhin of calling for 'civil conflict'
Russian authorities have accused Yevgeny Prigozhin of trying to start a “civil conflict” and called for his detention.
Agence France-Presse reports that the FSB security service’s probe into calls to stage an “armed mutiny” came after the head of the Wagner mercenary group accused Moscow of targeting his forces with deadly missile strikes and vowed to retaliate.
Prigozhin urged Russians to join his forces and punish Moscow’s military leadership in the most audacious challenge to President Vladimir Putin since the start of the offensive in Ukraine last year.
In a statement, the FSB said:
Prigozhin’s statements and actions are in fact a call to start an armed civil conflict on the territory of the Russian Federation and a stab in the back to Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces.
The FSB urged Wagner fighters to “take measures to detain him”.
The Kremlin said Putin had been informed of Prigozhin’s claims and “necessary measures are being taken”.
This is Adam Fulton taking over the blog from Abené Clayton.
Rostov residents warned against going into city centre
The Rostov region’s governor has urged residents not to travel into Rostov-on-Don’s city centre and to avoid leaving their homes if possible.
Vasily Golubev posted on Telegram that law enforcement agencies were doing “everything necessary to ensure the safety of residents in the area”.
He said he had given “the necessary instructions to the Rostov city administration and the life support services of Rostov to take the necessary measures to preserve the normal functioning of all city systems”.
I keep the issue under control, regularly listening to reports.
Videos posted on local Rostov-on-Don Telegram channels early on Saturday showed armed men in uniform skirting the city’s regional police headquarters, belonging to the interior ministry. Reuters reported it was not immediately clear who the armed men were.