Fuel depot catches fire in Russia’s Voronezh as Wagner mutiny continues

A fuel depot in Voronezh, a city in southern Russia, caught fire on Saturday, as the region is witnessing a mutiny by Wagner mercenaries. The local governor, Alexander Gusev, reported the incident on Telegram, stating that efforts were underway to extinguish the blaze. He mentioned the presence of approximately 100 firefighters and more than 30 vehicles at the scene. According to initial reports, there have been no reported casualties.

The cause of the fire has not been specified by Gusev. However, some media outlets have shared a video showing a military helicopter in the vicinity just before an explosion occurred.

Russia targets rebel convoy

According to reports, Russian military helicopters engaged in an attack on Saturday afternoon, targeting a convoy of rebel mercenaries who had made significant progress towards Moscow after seizing a southern city overnight.

In response, President Vladimir Putin pledged to suppress the armed mutiny, likening it to Russia's civil war from a century ago.Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said his fighters captured the army HQ in Russia's Rostov-on-Don "without firing a single shot".

Watch | 'Putin's chef' vs Defence Minister: Where has Wagner operated?

He also claimed that the forces have the backing of local Russians."Why does the country support us? Because we went on a march of justice," Prigozhin said in an audio message on Telegram and added, "We got to Rostov. Without a single shot we captured the building of the (army) HQ."

According to Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the Russian President continues to fulfill his regular responsibilities within the Kremlin. This statement comes in response to the Wagner mercenary group's declaration of overthrowing the country's senior military leadership.

"The president is working in the Kremlin," Peskov told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, after Wagner units claimed to have captured military installations in southern Russia.

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