World news: Mercenary leader defends ‘patriots’ as forces enter key Russian city
Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has denied allegations by President Vladimir Putin that he is betraying his country, dubbing his Wagner Group fighters “patriots”.
The private army led by Mr Prigozhin appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence briefing. Mr Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts as they crossed into Russia, saying his troops “aren’t fighting against children”. “But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way,” he declared in one of a series of video and audio recordings posted on social media, beginning late on Friday. “We are moving forward and will go until the end.”
Mr Prigozhin said his aim was to punish defence minister Sergei Shogun after Russian government forces attacked Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, said legislators “stand for the consolidation of forces″ and support Mr Putin, adding that “Wagner fighters must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the Commander-in-Chief”.
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