June 24, 2023 - Wagner head says group standing down

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged the Kremlin and Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin "to be responsible and to protect civilians."

Sunak told the BBC on Saturday that the UK is " keeping a close eye on the situation as it’s evolving on the ground as we speak."

“We’re in touch with our allies and, in fact, I’ll be speaking to some of them later today," he said.

“But the most important thing I’d say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and that’s about as much as I can say at this moment," he added.

Sunak declined to say whether it is good or bad news that Putin is being challenged.

Earlier on Saturday, the UK Ministry of Defence said that the latest developments represent "the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times."

"Following events overnight involving the Wagner group and the Russian military, we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies," Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted.

A burning fuel tank at an oil refinery close to the Russian city Voronezh is being extinguished, Governor Alexander Gusev said Saturday.

“In Voronezh, a burning fuel tank is being extinguished at an oil depot on the Dimitrov street. More than 100 firefighters and 30 vehicles are on site. According to the first data, there are no victims,” Gusev said in a statement.

He provided no explanation for the cause of the fire, but several social media videos show at least one military helicopter in the vicinity. As a helicopter flies towards the refinery, there is an explosion and fireball, and thick black smoke rises from the location. 

Fighters of the Wagner private military company had been in the area, according to other geolocated video.

Geolocated footage shows at least two military helicopters in the vicinity, on the outskirts of the city. 

Russian state media outlets have published video of roadblocks around the city of Voronezh, which appears to have been a goal of Wagner units moving northwards from Rostov-on-Don.

Yevgeny Prigozhin is the founder and bombastic chief of Russia's private military group Wagner.

Typically a figure who has operated in the shadows, Prigozhin and his army were thrust into the spotlight following the outbreak of Russia's war in Ukraine, with his troops playing a key role in the fighting.

He shared Russian President Vladimir Putin's relatively humble beginnings, growing up in the tougher neighborhood of Saint Petersburg.

Prigozhin has known Putin since the 1990s. He became a wealthy oligarch by winning lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin, earning him the moniker “Putin’s chef.”

His transformation into a brutal warlord came in the aftermath of the 2014 Russian-backed separatist movements in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine.

Prigozhin founded Wagner to be a shadowy mercenary outfit that fought both in eastern Ukraine and, increasingly, for Russian-backed causes around the world.

CNN has tracked Wagner mercenaries in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Ukraine and Syria. Over the years they have developed a particularly gruesome reputation and have been linked to various human rights abuses.

It took the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine for Prigozhin and his forces to take center stage. Wagner particularly took the charge in eastern Ukraine and Wagner forces were heavily involved in taking Soledar, a few miles northeast of Bakhmut, and areas around the town.

In recent months, Prigozhin has created a dilemma for Putin by becoming an outspoken critic of Russia's military leaders.

In May, he announced that his troops would withdraw from the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut -- after complained for well over a month of receiving insufficient support from the Kremlin in the grueling fight for the eastern city.

Now, Prigozhin has launched an all-out rebellion against the Kremlin -- after his increasingly outrageous outbursts sparked speculation that he could be going too far.

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Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of private military company (PMC) Wagner, has refused to surrender following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s address describing his actions as a betrayal.

Prigozhin said on Telegram that the president is “deeply mistaken.” 

“Regarding the ‘betrayal of the motherland,’ the president is deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our Motherland, we fought and are fighting, all the fighters of the PMC Wagner,” Prigozhin said in audio messages shared by the press service.

“And no one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else,” he added.

Prigozhin’s language in the message is in clear defiance of both the Kremlin and security services. Previously, he has been careful not to criticize Putin directly, or challenge his authority.

Prigozhin also returned to a familiar theme, saying that his men are patriots and refuse to perpetuate the “corruption, deceit, and bureaucracy” in which he claims Russia is living.

“When we were told that we were at war with Ukraine, we went and fought. But it turned out that ammunition, weapons, all the money that was allocated is also being stolen, and the bureaucrats are sitting [idly], saving it for themselves, just for the occasion that happened today, when someone [is] marching to Moscow,” he said.

Russian military are carrying out the necessary “combat measures” in the southern Russia city of Voronezh, the region's governor said.

Alexander Gusev posted a brief update on his Telegram channel, as geolocated videos emerge showing Wagner fighters and vehicles on the move along the M-4 highway that leads to the city of Voronezh from southern Russia.

“As part of the counter-terrorist operation on the territory of the Voronezh region, the armed forces of the Russian Federation are carrying out the necessary operational and combat measures. I will keep you updated as the situation develops,” Gusev said.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has condemned the actions of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and pledged his support to the Kremlin.

He also spoke of a “vile betrayal” by Prigozhin. 

In a long statement on Telegram, Kadyrov said: “I have repeatedly warned that war is not the time to voice personal grievances and resolve disputes in our rear. The rear must always be calm and reliable. Imagine how the guys in the trenches feel now, in the face of which there is an enemy, and behind their backs a treacherous adventure. We are talking about stability, about the cohesion of the state, about the security of citizens.”

Kadyrov continued: “We have a Supreme Commander-in-Chief, elected by the people, who knows the whole situation to the smallest detail better than any strategist.”

Referring to President Putin’s address to the nation Saturday, he said: “Vladimir Vladimirovich quite rightly noted in his address to the nation -- this is a military rebellion! There is no excuse for such actions! I fully support every word of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin!

“What is happening is not an ultimatum to the Ministry of Defense. This is a challenge to the state, and against this challenge it is necessary to rally around the national leader: the military, security forces, governors, and the civilian population.”

Kadyrov’s statement ends: “The rebellion must be crushed, and if this requires harsh measures, then we are ready!”

Some context: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed Saturday to have seized control of key military facilities in Rostov and Voronezh, pledging to move on to Moscow if Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and top general Valery Gerasimov, did not meet with him.

Earlier, the official Russian news agency TASS reported that traffic had been blocked on the M-4 highway past Rostov-on-Don towards Aksay.

“All cars moving from Rostov-on-Don towards Aksay are being redirected back in the city, and police checkpoints have been reinforced,” TASS reported.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a call for unity in Russia in order to prevent the potential threat of “civil strife.”

“We have one commander in chief [Vladimir Putin]. Not two, not three. One. And he urged everyone to unite,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a Telegram post, echoing sentiments expressed by other government officials.

“The enemy is just waiting for our civil strife,” she added.

Zakharova urged the men of Russia to unite despite their differing views. “Behind you are children, women, your parents! Behind you is the country. Behind you is everything that you defend with weapons in your hands. Behind you are the graves of those who did not spare themselves. You are future generations. Hold on and don't give in."

Zakharova concluded her message by urging Russians to stand strong.

“Today we are all being tempted, our strength tested. Don't give in! Together with the President! May God keep us!” she added.

Her words of defiance come as Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed Saturday to have seized control of key military facilities in Rostov and Voronezh, pledging to move on to Moscow if Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and top general Valery Gerasimov did not meet with him.

Rumors of military equipment moving through Russia's southern city Voronezh amid reports of Wagner fighters also traveling in the region, have been disputed by its governor Alexander Gusev.

“A lot of unreliable information is now being published on social networks about the alleged movement of columns of military equipment through the territory of the Voronezh region,” Gusev said in a statement Saturday.

“The legislation of the Russian Federation provides for liability for the dissemination of such messages,” he added, asking people to only follow information from official sources.

"I also ask the media to take a responsible approach to posting information,” Gusev said.

The Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted its correspondent in Voronezh as saying that “access to the buildings of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Voronezh is blocked, the police are on duty.”

Motorists on a major highway in southern Russia have been advised to avoid the route, amid reports that convoys of Wagner fighters are using it.

The warning was posted on Telegram by the company Avtodor, which operates Russian highways.

“Drivers, Attention. Please choose routes around the M-4,” the message read.

The M-4 runs north from Rostov to Voronezh and onto Moscow.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed Saturday to have seized control of key military facilities in Rostov and Voronezh, pledging to move on to Moscow if Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and top general Valery Gerasimov, did not meet with him.

Earlier, the official Russian news agency TASS reported that traffic had been blocked on the M-4 highway past Rostov-on-Don towards Aksay.

“All cars moving from Rostov-on-Don towards Aksay are being redirected back in the city, and police checkpoints have been reinforced,” TASS reported.