Putin about the rebellion: traitors will be punished

Russian President Vladimir Putin called an attempt to a military rebellion organized by the creator of the Wagner PMC Evgeny Prigozhin, betrayal and "blow to the back" of the country and the people. He compared this to the 1917 revolution.

“Everyone who has embarked on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion and embarked on the path of terrorist methods, will be inevitable punishment. They will answer both the law and before our people,” Putin said.

Putin said that the military and other government agencies received orders in connection with an attempt to rebellion. He called the situation in the Rostov region complex. And he admitted that "the authorities were actually blocked."

Putin urged to stop participating in the "criminal actions" of the participants of the "rebellion"

“The one who organized and prepared a military rebellion - betrayed Russia and will answer for it,” Putin concluded.

The founder of PMC Vagner Evgeny Prigozhin commented on the appeal of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We are patriots of our homeland, we fought and fight, all the fighters of the PMC Wagner. And no one is going to be at the request of the president, the FSB or someone else to come with a guilty one," Prigozhin said.

The founder of the PMC did not name the president by name.

Prigozhin rebellion. What happened on June 23 and 24

On the evening of June 23, the head of the Wagner PMC Evgeny Prigozhin announced the strike of the Russian military on the rear positions of the PMC. He announced the "march of justice" to stop "the evil that carries the military leadership of Russia." He specified that he was with 25 thousand fighters. The purpose of their "march" is to hold accountable of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, in particular - the head of the department Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov.

The Russian Ministry of Defense called information about the impact on PMCs by "information provocation." The FSB of Russia opened a criminal case against Prigozhin under an article on organizing an armed rebellion.

On the morning of June 24, it became known that the mercenaries of the Wagner PMC entered Rostov-on-Don. They are at the headquarters of the Southern Military District. Prigozhin also announced the capture of the airfield. There is no official confirmation of this information.

Prigozhin published a video of the conversation with Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yunus-Byk Evkurov and the deputy chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alekseev. "We came here. We want to get the head of the General Staff and Shoigu. While they are not there, we are here, block the city of Rostov and go to Moscow," said Prigozhin.

The Governor of the Rostov Region Vasily Golubev asked the residents of Rostov-on-Don "to refrain from trips to the city center and not to leave their homes if possible." The Government of the Voronezh region reported that a column of military equipment was moving along the federal highway M-4 "Don", its belonging was not indicated. Residents of the region were asked not to use the track. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced "anti -terrorist events" in Moscow. In the Rostov, Lipetsk and Voronezh region, all mass events were canceled.

In Moscow and the Moscow region, the regime of a counter -terrorism operation was introduced .

• PMCs openly conflict with the Ministry of Defense since the beginning of a full -scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Evgeny Prigozhin accused the leadership of the department of incompetence, refusal to supply equipment, high losses and loss of positions captured by Wagnerians. Prigozhin openly insulted the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and the head of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, and promised them "retaliation."
• In the afternoon, June 22 Prigozhin said that the war with Ukraine in February 22 began due to the fact that the Ministry of Defense deceived Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to him, Ukraine did not provoke a war, and fighting was needed for Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu to receive the title of Marshal. This version contradicts the official position of the Kremlin and the sources of the Western media, who reported that Putin himself decided to start the fighting.