Russia is feared to be on the cusp of a bloody civil war as fierce battles erupt between Putin’s troops and mercenaries from the Wagner Group in an extraordinary armed rebellion.
According to TheSun, Vladimir Putin is facing the biggest challenge to his iron fist rule since he rose to power in the aftermath of the collapsed Soviet Union and took control in the Kremlin more than two decades ago.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin vowed to “punish” Russia after he blamed the Kremlin for a deadly missile attack on one of his training camps in Bakhmut, Ukraine.
The warlord – a former pal of Putin’s – called for an armed rebellion to oust Russia’s military leaders as he turns on the top brass in Moscow.
Putin raged “this is treason” in an astonishing early morning address which showed he wasn’t backing down.
And fighting has now erupted, with Wagner forces seemingly taking control of a military HQ in Rostov-on-Don and seizing facilities in further north in Voronezh.
Prigozhin has vowed to march on Moscow – and a Wagner convoy seemingly heading towards the capital has come under attack from Putin loyalist helicopters.
It is also reported a Russian spy plane – an IL-18 – has been shot down by Wagner anti-air forces, with pictures showing the mercenaries armed with anti-air trucks.
Footage widely published in Russia shows the plane exploding in flames and twisting as it crashed to the ground near Voronezh Prigozhin’s army of 25,000 are just 310 miles from Moscow.
Meanwhile, The plane belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin departed from Moscow to St. Petersburg early Saturday as the Kremlin attempts to quiet an “armed rebellion” from Wagner mercenaries threatening to weaken the country’s offensive in the Ukrainian war.
The departure comes just hours after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key city south of Moscow, marking the biggest threat to Putin’s leadership in over two decades in power. Putin responded to the move on Friday, calling the uprising “a stab in the back.”
