“Will there be civil war?” a woman in Rostov asked the mercenaries who took over the city. “No, everything will be fine,” a fighter answered.
The region surrounding Rostov is an important oil, gas and grains hub.
In a series of hectic messages overnight, Prigozhin had demanded that Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov should come to see him in Rostov.
‘SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE’
Western capitals said they were closely following the situation in nuclear-armed Russia. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to counterparts from G7 nations.
The top U.S. military officer, Army General Mark Milley, cancelled a scheduled trip to the Middle East because of the situation in Russia.
The insurrection risked leaving Russia’s invasion force in Ukraine in disarray, just as Kyiv is launching its strongest counteroffensive since the war began in February last year.
“This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times,” Britain’s defence ministry said.
Source: Reuters