Wagner fighters in Russian cities defy Putin's charge of mutiny
The boss of Russia's Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, says its mercenaries have seized "all military facilities" in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.
They are also said to have deployed in Voronezh, further north, following his threat to march on Moscow to topple Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
There have also been sightings of Wagner vehicles on the highway linking Voronezh to Moscow.
President Vladimir Putin called the rebellion "a stab in the back".
He pledged to punish those who had "betrayed" Russia.
Tighter security has been introduced in many regions, including Moscow.
The Wagner Group is a private army of mercenaries that has been fighting alongside the regular Russian army in Ukraine.
Tension has been growing between them over how the war has been fought, with Prigozhin launching vocal criticisms of Russia's military leadership in recent months.
The dramatic escalation came after Prigozhin accused Russia's military of hitting his group's base in Ukraine - a claim denied by Moscow.
Prigozhin claims this is not a military coup, but his aim seems to be to topple Russia's military leadership, reports the BBC's Russia editor Steve Rosenberg in Moscow.
Comments