Prigozhin’s Wagner Group took control of Rostov-on-Don, but stopped short of Moscow
On the evening of June 23, mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin reported that Wagner Group would be leading a “march of justice” toward Moscow. This decision came after a long period of conflict with Russia’s Defense Ministry, and, according to Prigozhin, due to the Defense Ministry allegedly launching a missile attack against his fighters at a “rear base” (this has not been confirmed). Overnight, Wagner Group captured Rostov-on-Don and then proceeded on past Voronezh. The Russian army occasionally resisted, and there were reports of losses. On June 24, just after 8:30 p.m. Moscow time, Prigozhin abruptly announced that Wagner forces would stand down and retreat to their field camps. The following photos show Wagner Group fighters en route to Moscow, before Prigozhin called off the coup.
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Rostov-on-Don
Arkady Budnirsky / EPA / Scanpix / LETA A Wagner fighter on the roof of the Southern Military District’s headquarters.Arkady Budnitsky / EPA / Scanpix / LETA A Wagner fighter outside of a local Rostelecom office.Wagner fighters near the Southern Military District’s headquarters. A Russian Defense Ministry military police vehicle is pictured behind them.Soldiers from the Russian army on Krasnoarmeyskaya Street.AP / Scanpix / LETA A resident of Rostov-on-Don poses in front of a tank.Reuters / Scanpix / LETA A Wagner fighter next to a tank stationed near a circus. It is located in the same neighbourhood as the Southern Military District’s headquarters. Reuters / Scanpix / LETA Wagner fighters relax on the terrace of a restaurant on Budonnovskiy Avenue.Wagner fighters at the Southern Military District’s headquarters.EPA / Scanpix / LETA According to reports from the outlet Bloknot (which Meduza cannot verify), Wagner fighters stopped a vehicle with a license plate from the self-declared “Luhansk People’s Republic” (LNR) and made the men inside the vehicle lay on the ground.
Voronezh and the Voronezh region
A missile strikes a truck near a Wagner column on the M-4 “Don” highway.Reuters / Scanpix / LETA Wagner fighters near vehicles on the highway.Reuters / Scanpix / LETA A Wagner Group column moving along the M-4 highway, which connects Rostov-on-Don to Moscow.Smoke from a fire at an oil terminal in Voronezh. The region’s governor reported that over 100 firefighters and 30 vehicles are working to extinguish the fire.Bloknot Voronezh A helicopter can be seen flying over the oil terminal in one video posted to social media.Typical Voronezh The authorities have not yet commented on whether there have been casualties at the oil terminal.
An explosion in Voronezh.
Moscow region
AP / Scanpix / LETA Military vehicles and police on a highway in the Moscow region.
