Wagner claims taking control of Russian southern military district in Rostov-Na-Don

By Dmitri Chirciu and Aliia Raimbekova

MOSCOW / KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - The Wagner paramilitary group has taken control of the headquarters of Russia's southern military district in Rostov-Na-Don, according to the group’s leader on Saturday.

"We have arrived here, we want to receive the chief of the general staff and (Russian Defense Minister Sergey) Shoygu," the head of the Wagner group Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video posted by a pro-Wagner Telegram channel.

"Unless they come, we'll be here, we'll blockade the city of Rostov and head for Moscow,” he added.

Claiming that the chief of staff fled from the headquarters, he said everything is under control and the headquarters is functioning.

In the video, Wagner fighters placed heavy weapons on the doors and windows of the building. They are seen trying to control critical points on the streets of Rostov-Na-Don.

Vasily Golubev, the governor of Rostov oblast, said they decided to cancel all mass events planned for the weekend in the region.

Golubev also said temporary traffic restrictions were imposed on the route from Rostov to Taganrog and the north.

Prigozhin said early Saturday that his forces in Ukraine have crossed into the Russian city of Rostov.

Tensions between the Kremlin and Wagner escalated after Prigozhin accused Russian forces of attacking his fighters.

The Russian Defense Ministry denied those claims late Friday.

Prigozhin has, in recent months, repeatedly accused the Russian Defense Ministry and Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu of not supplying sufficient arms to the paramilitary group.

- Russian missile attack kills 2, injures 11 in Kyiv

On Friday night, Russian forces carried out a missile attack on Ukrainian capital Kyiv, killing two and injuring 11 people.

"More than 20 missiles were detected from the airspace around Kyiv and they were destroyed by the power and tools of our air defense,” Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said on social media.

He said the missile hit a 24-storey apartment in the Solomyanka district.

Serhiy Lisak, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military-Civil Administration, said eight people, including two children, were injured as a result of the attack, he added.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar