Russian army 'guarantees safety' of Wagner fighters who stop rebelling

MOSCOW: The Russian army on Saturday said it would “guarantee the safety” of Wagner mercenaries who stop rebelling against Moscow’s military leadership.

“We are appealing to the fighters of assault squads of PMC Wagner. You were deceived into (Wagner chief’s Yevgeny) Prigozhin’s criminal venture and participation in an armed rebellion,” the army said in a statement. It called on the fighters to ask for help to return to “places of permanent deployment.”

“We ask you to show reason and get in touch with representatives of Russia’s defence ministry or law enforcement. We guarantee safety for all.”

Anti-terrorist operation regime in Moscow

An “anti-terrorist operation regime” in Moscow and the Moscow region declared, after the chief of the Wagner mercenary group vowed to overthrow Russia’s military leadership and claimed control of a key military headquarters in the south.

“With the aim of preventing possible terrorist acts on the territory of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region, an anti-terror operation regime has been introduced,” the country’s national anti-terrorist committee said in a statement quoted by Russian agencies.

The announcement came as Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said he was inside the army headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and controlled military sites there.

Russia also declared an anti-terrorist operation in the southern Voronezh region, where some reports said Wagner mercenaries were also headed.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the measure was “aimed at strengthening security.”

He also said there was “additional control” on roads and that the capital’s mass events may be limited.

“Please consider the measures adopted with understanding,” the mayor told Muscovites on social media.

Moscow’s transport department said there could be delays in bus routes from the capital to “southern directions.”

It is “just beginning”, says Kyiv

Kyiv on Saturday said events were “just beginning” in Russia, as Russian Wagner mercenaries crossed from occupied Ukraine into Russia to stage a rebellion, 16 months into the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Everything is just beginning in Russia,” presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. “The split between the elites is too obvious. Agreeing and pretending that everything is settled won’t work.”