Putin calls Wagner uprising treason

Russian President Vladimir Putin Saturday accused the Wagner mercenary force’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, whom he did not name, of “betrayal” and “treason” and warned “those who prepared the rebellion” would suffer “inevitable punishment.” Earlier, Wagner forces were reported to have taken the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukraine border and later, military facilities in Voronezh, halfway between Rostov and Moscow. Prigozhin threatened to march on Moscow unless he meets Russia’s defense minister. Security was tightened in the capital Friday night.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov expressed solidarity with Putin, saying that his fighters “have already left for the zones of tension” and would “do everything to preserve the unity of Russia.”