Amid escalating tensions, Russian authorities have taken significant security measures in Moscow and have issued an arrest warrant for Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner paramilitary group.

The charges against him include mutiny, as he called on his troops to overthrow the country’s military leadership, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Prigozhin, formerly a close associate of President Vladimir Putin, called for retaliation, alleging that the Russian military had inflicted substantial casualties on his troops during strikes on Wagner camps.

However, the military denied the occurrence of such strikes, and there is no independent evidence to support Prigozhin’s claims.

Russian soldiers in armored personnel carriers have been deployed to secure critical installations in Moscow.

Prominent Russian military commanders who have previously collaborated with Wagner have appealed to the group’s fighters to reconsider their actions, emphasizing the dire consequences of instigating a full-blown civil war within the country.

Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, the deputy chief of Russian military intelligence, urged Wagner fighters to regain their composure and abandon any confrontational measures.

While no clashes have been reported thus far, Prigozhin stated that his forces would embark on a “march for justice.”

Early on Saturday, he claimed that his troops had already departed eastern Ukraine and begun entering the southern Russian city of Rostov, where he reported encountering no resistance from young conscripts.

However, there has been no immediate independent verification of these claims, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Social media footage showcased the presence of armored vehicles in central Moscow, particularly on the streets housing the Federation Council (the upper house of the Russian parliament) and the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Although clashes have not yet erupted, Prigozhin confirmed that his forces would initiate the “march for justice,” without specifying its ultimate destination.

Written by staff