Iran Press/ Europe: Earlier, authorities in Moscow and the surrounding area said they had declared a “counterterrorism” state of emergency after Prigozhin claimed his forces were in control of military sites in Rostov.
Wagner chief Prigozhin says his fighters, who were advancing towards Moscow, were turning around and returning to their bases in order to avoid bloodshed.
In an audio message released by his press service, Prigozhin said: “They wanted to disband the Wagner military company. We embarked on a march of justice on June 23. In 24 hours we got to within 200 km of Moscow. In this time, we did not spill a single drop of our fighters’ blood.”
“Now the moment has come when blood could be spilled. Understanding responsibility [for the chance] that Russian blood will be spilled on one side, we are turning our columns around and going back to field camps as planned.” Prigozhin added.
This is while Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin has warned the situation in the capital was “difficult,” as forces of the Wagner mercenary group moved towards the city to oust Russia’s military leadership.
President Vladimir Putin has vowed to crush what he called an armed mutiny after rebellious mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said he had taken control of Rostov-on-Don, the capital of Russia’s southern region of Rostov.
Rostov-on-Don, a city that lies more than 1,000km (660 miles) south of Moscow, is the base for the military headquarters of Russian operations in Ukraine.
Rostov is Russia’s second-largest grain-producing region and home to the Don River ports, which connect vessels exporting grain with the Azov Sea.
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