Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to crush what he called an 'armed mutiny' after the leader of the Wagner group Yevgeny Prigozhin announced his forces had taken control of a southern Russian city - and a convoy has been spotted heading towards Moscow.

Potentially the biggest domestic crisis the Russian president has faced since he ordered Moscow's assault on Ukraine, here's what you need to know about the latest developments... 

Key points

• Prigozhin says his forces have seized control of all military sites in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.

• Wagner forces have also taken control of military facilities in the city of Voronezh.

• A Wagner convoy has been seen heading towards Moscow on the M-4 motorway.

• Russian military helicopters allegedly opened fire on the convoy outside Voronezh, with Prigozhin reporting several clashes between his fighters and the Russian army.

• Prigozhin is demanding that Russia's military leadership come to negotiate with him after accusing them of shelling his forces.

• President Vladimir Putin, in a televized address, condemned Prigozhin's actions as an "armed mutiny."

• Putin told the nation, "any actions that split our nation are essentially a betrayal of our people."

• Russia's FSB security service have opened a criminal case against Prigozhin for armed mutiny.

• On Friday, Prigozhin accused the country's military leadership of ordering a rocket attack that killed scores of his fighters, a claim Moscow has denied.

IN DETAIL

Putin condemns Wagner 'treason' 

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to put down what he called an armed mutiny after the private army of mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin seized control of a southern Russian city in a bid to oust the military leadership.

In Russia's first armed insurrection since the Chechen wars 20 years ago, fighters from Prigozhin's Wagner militia were in control of the streets of Rostov-on-Don, a city of more than a million people close to the border with Ukraine.

Prigozhin said he had captured the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District there after leading his forces into Russia from Ukraine. The city is a vital logistical hub for Russia's forces fighting in Ukraine.

Wagner fighters were captured in armoured vehicles and huge battle tanks taking up positions in the city center.

A Russian security source told Reuters that Wagner fighters had also taken control of military facilities in the city of Voronezh, further north on the road towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing Rostov. 

According to one Reuters journalist, Russian military helicopters opened fire on a Wagner convoy just outside the city, which is already more than half way towards the Russian capital.

Russia's defense ministry said in a statement directed to Wagner fighters that they had been "deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure" by Prigozhin, urging the mercenaries to contact the Ministry of Defense and not take part in the Wagner's boss's directives. 

In Moscow, there was an increased security presence on the streets. Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers.

"Excessive ambitions and vested interests have led to treason," Putin said in a televised address, calling the move a "stab in the back".

"It is a blow to Russia, to our people. And our actions to defend the Fatherland against such a threat will be harsh."

"All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people," Putin said.

Commenting on Putin's address, Prigozhin said the president "was deeply mistaken" in calling him a traitor, marking the first time he has directly spoken out against the Russian president.

"No one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president … We don't want the country to continue to live in corruption and lies," he said on Saturday. "We are patriots, and those who are against us are the ones who gathered around the bastards," the mercenary stated.

In a series of messages overnight, Prigozhin demanded Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov come to see him in Rostov. The mercenary leader later claimed in a voice message on Saturday that his forces had left Ukraine and had entered Russian's Rostov. 

"If anyone gets in our way, we will destroy everything," he said, adding that his 25,000 fighters were ready to "go all the way" against the top brass and destroy anyone who stood in their way.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday the situation showed that "Russia's weakness was "obvious" and that the longer Moscow kept its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine, the more chaos it would invite back home.

A senior aide to the president described Prigozhin's actions as a "counter-terrorist operation" and said that "everything is just beginning in Russia."

Western capitals said they were closely following the situation. "This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," Britain's defense ministry said.

 

Prigozhin's demands

Prigozhin, a former convict and long-time ally of Putin, leads a private army that includes thousands of former prisoners recruited from Russian jails.

His men took on the fiercest fighting of the 16-month Ukraine conflict - a protracted battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut - and he has feuded for months with the regular army's leadership, accusing generals of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters.

This month, he defied orders to sign a contract placing his troops under the command of the Defense Ministry.

He launched the apparent mutiny on Friday after alleging that the military had killed a large number of his fighters in an air strike, a charge the Defense Ministry denies.

"Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance," Prigozhin said.

"There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country," he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner's way. He later said his men had been involved in clashes with regular soldiers and had shot down a helicopter.

Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against Prigozhin for armed mutiny and said his statements were "calls for the start of an armed civil conflict on Russian territory."

Prigozhin has denied that he is trying to stage a military coup.

"We have arrived here [in Rostov], we want to receive the chief of the general staff and Shoigu. Unless they come, we'll be here, we'll blockade the city of Rostov and head for Moscow," he said in a video from Russia's Southern Military District headquarters.

Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider his actions.

"Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority," he said.

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Cover image: Stringer/Reuters