Police in Moscow
In the second half of June 24, the situation with the armed munity announced by the public head of PMC Wagner, Evgeny Prigozhin, reached to what could be described as the first breaking point.
According to reports, forward detachments of the Wagner units loyal to Prigozhin are about to reach Moscow Region. The movement of Wagner units took place amid little clashes with security forces.
Russian security forces and military mostly worked to slow down the movement of the Wagner columns and carried out limited strikes on them. The Russian Defense Ministry also repeated its call on Wagner members to lay down arms while they still can do this.
It is likely that the main efforts to neutralize the moving Wagner units will take place in Moscow region or close to it.
A strike on a Wagner column on the M4 highway:
A large part of the roads in Moscow Region and nearby regions are currently blocked for traffic.
Moscow’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin stated that an anti-terrorism operation has been launched in the city, describing the current situation as “difficult.” Also, the upcoming Monday has already been declared a non-working day. Additionally, Sobyanin called upon residents to reduce travel across the city.
Blocked roads in Moscow Region and around it (map by Russian media)
Reports also appeared that a bridge over the Oka River in Kolomna (114km southeast of Moscow) were barricaded with heavy vehicles.
In Moscow itself, armed police were spotted near Lipetskaya Street at the entrance and exit from the M4 Don highway. In the Yasenevo district on the outskirts of Moscow, a unit of the Russian National Guard was also spotted.
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
These developments took place amid reports that members of Akhmat, a National Guard unit from the Russian region of Chechnya, have reached Rostov-on-Don.
Members of Wagner loyal to Prigozhin still control the HQ of Russia’s Southern Military District in the city. National Guard units may be employed as a part of the operation to neutralize this situation.
At least two reports about explosions in the vicinity of the HQ appeared during the day. Wagner members also detained at least two persons in the area.
Contrary to hopes of NATO & Co, actions of Prigozhin have found no support among the Russian nation. Top officials and prominent military commanders also spoke against the Prigozhin-led armed munity.
Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) chief Sergey Naryshkin described the situation as “treason,” branding it “the most terrible crime, which cannot be justified by any past merits.”
According to him, the attempt to spark a “civil war” in the country has already failed, with Russian society demonstrating “civic maturity.”
At the same time, there are little doubts that the Kyiv regime and its foreign sponsors will try to use the current situation to launch even more attacks on Russia in the nearest future. These actions may varry from the new round of escalation on the frontline to a series of terrorist attacks on targets inside Russia.
The situation is developing.
