Liveblog: ++ Moscow implements “anti-terrorist measures” ++

Because of the threats from the Wagner troupe, Moscow Mayor Sobyanin has put “anti-terrorist measures” into effect. Germany wants to provide Ukraine with more “Gepard” anti-aircraft tanks. All developments in the live blog.

According to the Russian domestic secret service FSB, the Ministry of Defense has also asked the fighters of the Wagner mercenary group to refuse allegiance to their boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin. He “deceived her and led her into a criminal adventure,” according to the Reuters news agency. The mercenaries should contact the authorities, their safety will be guaranteed.

According to a media report, the Kremlin has announced a televised speech by President Vladimir Putin. The head of state will shortly address the public, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the state news agency TASS. He did not initially give any details.

In response to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s threat to advance his troops towards Moscow, the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergey Sobyanin, says he has put “anti-terrorist measures” in place. These include increased traffic controls, and restrictions on mass events are also possible.

The governor of the region around Moscow, Andrei Vorobyov, also wrote on Telegram about increased security precautions and also called on people to refrain from private car journeys in the direction of southern Russia. In southern Russia lies the city of Rostov, where, according to Prigozhin, the Wagner troops marched in and took over military facilities.

Ukraine is to receive 45 more “Gepard” anti-aircraft tanks from Germany. The head of the situation center Ukraine in the defense ministry, Brigadier General Christian Freuding, told the “Welt am Sonntag”. 34 of these tanks have already been delivered, and another 15 tanks are to go to Ukraine in the coming weeks. It is also planned to deliver 30 more “Gepard” tanks to Ukraine towards the end of the year in cooperation with the USA.

According to Freuding, the Ukrainian military is to receive two more Iris-T SLM air defense systems this year, and two more of these systems are to be delivered in the coming year.

The head of the Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has called on Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov to negotiate in a video published on Telegram. Otherwise, his fighters would go all the way to Moscow.

According to Prigozhin, his troops are now said to control all military installations in the Russian city of Rostov in the south of the country. He published a video on Telegram, which is supposed to prove the arrival of his fighters in the city.

The regional administration of the southern Russian region of Voronezh is calling on residents to avoid the M-4 highway in the direction of Moscow. The reason is a military convoy moving there, the administration said on Telegram. The situation is under control.

Measures have been taken to protect public safety. Russian military contractor Yevgeny Prigozhin previously said he crossed the border from Ukraine to Russia with his mercenaries.

After Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin threatened the Moscow military leadership, the governor of the southern Russian city of Rostov called on the population to stay at home. The authorities took all necessary measures to ensure the safety of residents, Vasily Golubev said on his Telegram channel.

Golubev did not say whether Prigozhin had already arrived in Rostov. He had previously stated that he had crossed the border from Ukraine to Russia with his mercenaries and had reached Rostov. The mercenary boss has called for an uprising against the army leadership in Moscow.

According to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigoschin, fighters from the Russian mercenary group Wagner shot down a Russian army helicopter. “A helicopter just opened fire on a civilian column, it was shot down by the Wagner units,” Prigozhin said in an audio message released during the night. According to Prigozhin, Wagner mercenaries had previously invaded Russian territory from the Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian sources, fragments of the drone hit a parking lot in central Kiev. Rescue workers were sent to the scene, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

Klitschko did not provide any information on casualties or damage. According to the military, there was an air alert throughout Ukraine for more than an hour. Explosions were reported in the major city of Kharkiv and other cities. Anti-aircraft units are said to have been deployed across the country.

According to a media report, Russian President Vladimir Putin is kept informed about the security situation around the clock. The defense and interior ministries, as well as the domestic intelligence agency FSB, have continuously provided information on security measures to prevent a possible armed mutiny by Russian military contractor Yevgeny Prigozhin, the state news agency Tass reported.

The United States is watching the power struggle between Russian military contractor Yevgeny Prigozhin and the government in Moscow. A spokesman for the White House National Security Council said the developments would be discussed with allies and partners.

The Russian military contractor Yevgeny Prigozhin claims to have crossed the border from Ukraine to Russia with his mercenaries. They had reached the southern Russian city of Rostov, the Wagner boss said in an audio recording published on Telegram. They are ready to take “to the extreme” action against the Russian military.

According to their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, fighters from the private Russian mercenary group Wagner have invaded Russian territory. Prigozhin said his fighters are in the Russian border area with Ukraine.

The mercenary leader warned that his troops would “destroy everything” that stood in their way. “We’ll continue, we’ll go to the end,” announced Prigozhin.

The important Russian army general Sergei Surovikin has sided with the power apparatus in Moscow in the conflict between the Wagner private army and the defense ministry. In a video message, Surovikin, who is Deputy Chief of the Russian General Staff, called on Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin to end the power struggle. “The enemy is just waiting for our domestic political situation to deteriorate,” said Surovikin in a video message. Surovikin is actually considered an ally of Prigozhin, but has now apparently decided to remain loyal to the Kremlin.

Armored vehicles have appeared in central Moscow amid a power struggle between the Wagner mercenary group and Russian security agencies. “In Moscow, security measures have been increased, all important objects, such as state authorities and objects of transport infrastructure, have been put under increased surveillance,” reported the state news agency TASS, citing the security authorities. Videos had previously appeared online showing an infantry fighting vehicle and an armored military truck driving in front of the Russian parliament, the State Duma.

The media also reported that armored vehicles had also driven up in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is said to be staying there.

Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has justified the initiation of proceedings against mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin for attempted armed insurgency. “For such a crime, imprisonment of between 12 and 20 years is provided as punishment,” the authority said in a statement on Friday evening. The initiation of the procedure by the secret service FSB was “legal and justified”, according to the public prosecutor’s office.

The head of the Wagner mercenary unit, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has denied the allegations of armed riots made by the Russian authorities. “This is not an armed uprising, but a march for justice,” Prigozhin said in a voice message distributed by his press service on Telegram. Wagner’s actions would not harm the activities of Russian forces in Ukraine, he added.

After the mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin harshly criticized the Russian military leadership, the Russian domestic secret service FSB accuses it of calling for a “civil war”. The FSB called on the fighters of Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenary group to capture their boss during the night, according to Russian news agencies. Prigozhin had previously accused the army of bombing its fighters and called on the Russians to rebel against the army leadership.

In the power struggle between the Russian military contractor Yevgeny Prigozhin and the state leadership, Moscow is apparently tightening security measures in government buildings, means of transport and other important places. This was reported by the state news agency Tass, citing security service circles. Prigozhin had previously described the official justification for the war as a lie, accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of a military attack to destroy his mercenary group Wagner and announced retaliation.