Putin accuses mercenary group leader of treason as Wagner claims control of Russia’s southern military headquarters

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary Wagner group, appeared to have control of some of the buildings that form the military command in southern Russia in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Video verified by The New York Times shows that he had entered the facilities Saturday morning.

In the videos, Prigozhin is seen in the company of dozens of armed men in the courtyard of the Southern Military District Headquarters, an important strategic command center in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Prigozhin said his forces would blockade the city and head for Moscow unless top Russian officials came to meet with them.

In an address on Saturday Russian President Vladimir Putin said he ordered “decisive actions to stabilize the situation in Rostov-on-Don,” according to reporting by New York Times reporter Anton Troianovski.

“The work of civilian and military governing institutions is practically blocked” in the city, Mr. Putin said. “As president of Russia and the commander in chief, as a citizen of Russia, I will do everything to defend the country.”

Additional videos circulating online and verified by the Times show dozens of soldiers getting out of military vehicles and pointing their guns at the compound. The videos were released hours after Prigozhin claimed Russia had attacked his forces in Ukraine, and said that he was bringing a column of troops to Russia in retaliation.

Prigozhin on Friday accused the Russian military of attacking his mercenary forces, escalating a long-running feud with the Russian military over the war in Ukraine. Russia’s prosecutor general announced hours later that Prigozhin was being investigated “on suspicion of organizing an armed rebellion.”

Since then, the scene that has unfolded in this city of more than 1 million people is tense and opaque; videos shared on Telegram show tanks driving down streets, soldiers jumping off trucks, and soldiers surrounding the headquarters. The soldiers are widely believed to be Wagner forces.

The Southern Military District is the smallest of Russia’s four regional military authorities, but it has played a critical role in the war. Units belonging to the command have fought in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts.

Contributing to the confusion emanating from Rostov-on-Don, civilian onlookers next to the military show of force seem to be unusually calm. In videos circulating online, some people can be seen smoking and drinking beer, and a street cleaner carries on with sweeping litter.