Charles beard, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Opera House, London

London, June 24 The simmering conflict between Moscow's military leadership and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the bombastic chief of private mercenary group Wagner, has exploded into an open insurrection that plunges Russia into renewed uncertainty and the very real threat of civil war, media reports said.Prigozhin unleashed a new tirade against the Russian military on Friday and then marched his troops into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.Russian President Vladimir Putin called Wagner's actions "treason" and has vowed to punish those behind the "armed uprising", CNN reported.The dramatic turn of events began on Friday when Prigozhin openly accused Russia's military of attacking a Wagner camp and killing a "huge amount" of his men. He vowed to retaliate with force, insinuating that his forces would "destroy" any resistance, including roadblocks and aircraft."There are 25,000 of us and we are going to find out why there is such chaos in the country," he said, CNN reported.Prigozhin later rowed back on his threat, saying his criticism of the Russian military leadership was a "march of justice" and not a coup – but by that point he appears to have already crossed a line with the Kremlin.The crisis then deepened as Prigozhin declared his fighters had entered Russia's Rostov region and occupied key military installations within its capital. That city, Rostov-on-Don, is the headquarters for Russia's southern military command and home to some one million people, CNN reported.Prigozhin released a video saying his forces would blockade Rostov-on-Don unless Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general Valery Gerasimov come to meet him.Prigozhin has spent months railing against Shoigu and Gerasimov who he blames for Moscow's faltering invasion of Ukraine, CNN reported.Hours later Putin made an address to the nation that illustrated the depth of the crisis he now confronts."Those who carry deliberately on a path of treason, preparing an armed rebellion when you were preparing terrorist attacks, will be punished," he said.The Russian President said "any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood for us as a nation; it is a blow to Russia for our people and our actions to protect our homeland. Such a threat will face a severe response".Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Charles BeardFOLLOW

Charles beard, Latest News

London [UK], June 25 : The World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz moved into Queen's Club Championships final with a 6-3, ... ...

London, June 24 Wagner mercenary troops loyal to Yevgeny Prigozhin are heading north in a convoy to reach ... ...

London [UK], June 24 : Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton's contract with Mercedes will end after the 2023 Formula ... ...

London [UK], June 24 : Scuderia Ferrari's F1 team driver Charles Leclerc said he was concerned about the removal ... ...

London [UK], June 24 : On June 25 1983, the Indian cricket team defied all odds and expectations and ... ...

London, June 24 The Moscow region has suspended all mass outdoor events until July 1, the authorities ... ...

London, June 24 Verified information from the ground is relatively sparse but Wagner troops appear to be moving ... ...

London, June 24 The simmering conflict between Moscow's military leadership and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the bombastic chief of private ... ...