FSB and other security forces put on alert in Moscow, checkpoints set up on Don highway, reports BBC Russian Service • The Insider • RIMA

FSB and other security forces put on alert in Moscow, checkpoints set up on Don highway, reports BBC Russian Service

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and other security forces have been put on high alert in Moscow, according to a report by the BBC Russian Service citing a source close to the special services.

According to the source, the FSB and Russia’s National Guard Special Rapid Response Unit (SOBR) have set up roadblocks on the Don highway (a highway connecting Moscow, Voronezh, and Rostov-on-Don). Officers on duty have been ordered to open fire “in case of a threat.” A source quoted by investigative outlet Dossier also confirmed the information.

Dossier’s source also said that a criminal case over “incitement to armed rebellion» has been filed personally against Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin. A statement from Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee did not mention the case — the media reported the “after Prigozhin's statements.”

Earlier today, a “Fortress” plan was declared in a number of police departments in the Rostov region, and officers were put on alert, according to Telegram channel Baza and a law enforcement source from Rostov-based publication 161.RU.

On the evening of June 23, Prigozhin claimed that the Russian Defense Ministry launched missile strikes on the Wagner PMC’s rear camps. Prigozhin claimed that Sergei Shoigu deliberately arrived in Rostov to execute an operation to destroy the Wagner PMC. According to Prigozhin, the Russian Minister of Defense “covertly deployed artillery personnel and helicopter pilots to exterminate us.”

Prigozhin promised to respond to the strike and “to deal with those who destroy Russian soldiers.” Russia's Defense Ministry has denied carrying out strikes on Wagner positions, claiming that messages disseminated by Prigozhin do not correspond to reality.

Following Prigozhin's statements, a criminal case was initiated over the “incitement to armed rebellion,” reported state-run news agency TASS citing Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee.