Wagner forces have called for an armed rebellion against Russia’s military leadership as president Vladimir Putin warned the group there will be ‘inevitable punishment’.

In an extraordinary escalation of the war late on Friday night, security was stepped up in Moscow after the head of Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian military of launching a deadly missile strike on his Wagner troops.

Putin decried the ‘betrayal’ and ‘treason’ of the Wagner group following the challenge to his military power in an address to the nation this morning.

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He said Russia’s future is at stake, describing the actions of mutineers as a ‘stab in the back’.

Without specifically mentioning Wagner group boss Prigozhin, Putin said the high ‘ambitions’ of some have led to ‘high treason’.

He added some Russians have been ‘tricked into a criminal adventure’ – again without referring to rebellious Wagner fighters.

Prigozhin has since responded in an audio message posted on Wagner’s Telegram channel this morning.

A male voice resembling that of Prigozhin can be heard saying: ‘About treason of motherland, the president was deeply mistaken.

‘We are patriots of our motherland. We have been fighting and are fighting now.

‘And nobody is going to – as demanded by the president, the FSB (Russia’s security service) or anyone else – to admit our guilt.

‘Because we don’t want our country to live anymore in corruption, lies and bureaucracy.’

Anti-terrorism measures have been stepped up in the Russian capital to reinforce security in the city.

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The Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, wrote on Telegram: ‘In connection with the incoming information, anti-terrorist measures are being taken in Moscow aimed at strengthening security measures.

‘Additional control on the roads has been introduced.

‘It is possible to limit the holding of public events. Please consider the measures taken with understanding.’

The Wagner troops have also entered the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don where Prigozhin claims they were allowed past by border guards.

In a warning to citizens, the city’s governor Vasily Golubev, wrote on Telegram: ‘The current situation requires the maximum concentration of all forces to maintain order.

‘Law enforcement agencies are doing everything necessary to ensure the safety of residents of the area.

‘I ask everyone to stay calm and do not leave the house without the need.’

The M4 highway connecting Moscow and Rostov has been closed at the border between Lipetsk and Voronezh regions, the Lipetsk governor confirmed.

BBC sources are reporting Wagner fighters have taken control of all military facilities in the city of Voronezh, a halfway point between Rostov-on-Don (where Wagner also claims it’s in charge) and the capital Moscow.

Voronezh city officials are yet to publicly comment on the claim.

Footage on local Telegram channels appear to show armed forces surrounding a government building in Rostov-on-Don.

Reuters news agency confirmed the location as the police headquarters building where armed men in uniform were seen walking around the building’s perimeter, as armoured vehicles surrounded it, including two tanks with their guns trained on it.

Video footage posted on the channel appears to show Prigozhin inside Russia’s southern military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don.

In one video Prigozhin says his troops will blockade the city and move on to Moscow unless Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov come to meet them.

‘We have arrived here, 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 says.

In separate footage posted to a pro-Wagner channel, Prigozhin is seen sitting between two generals, the Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev who had earlier posted a video urging the Wagner boss to stand down.

Governor Golubev warned people to avoid the city centre and wrote on Telegram: ‘In connection with the current situation, I ask you to refrain from traveling to the city center and, if possible, not to leave your homes.’

He added citizens in the city should avoid travelling south because of increased security measures in the region.

Russia’s defence ministry has denied the missile strike and demanded Prigozhin halt ‘illegal actions’.

Security across the whole of Russia has now been tightened and the internet restricted as military trucks have been spotted on Moscow’s streets.

According to internet usage tracker NetBlocks, Google News is currently unavailable across Russia.

It shows a drop in usage across the entire country since Wagner made its announcement.

The Kremlin has confirmed Prigozhin is now being investigated for inciting mutiny, Russia’s Tass news agency confirmed.

Prigozhin has hit back at Russia’s military leadership in some explosive messages of Telegram, branding it ‘evil’ and vowed to ‘march for justice’.

In other audio recordings on Telegram Prigozhin says his mercenaries were ’embraced’ by border guards as they passed through Russia’s border with Ukraine earlier today.

‘Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed,’ he said.

‘They have treacherously cheated us,’ he added.

Prigozhin then said his troops would oust Shoigu, and called on the Russian army to stand aside.

‘This is not a military coup, but a march of justice,’ he said.

‘The evil embodied by the country’s military leadership must be stopped,’ he shouted.

In a fresh entry on Telegram, Prigozhin also claimed his forces shot down a Russian helicopter.

He claims the helicopter ‘opened fire on a civilian convoy’ – although he did not give details as to where this incident is alleged to have happened.

Earlier he released a video saying Russia had had no reason to invade Ukraine and the war had been a disaster.

‘But if anyone stands in our way, we will destroy everything that’s in our way… We are moving forward, we’ll go all the way,’ Prigozhin added.

And this morning he added: ‘All of us are ready to die. All 25,000, and then another 25,000,’ adding the action was being taken ‘for the Russian people’.

Putin acknowledged the situation in Rostov-on-Don remained ‘difficult’ as residents in the city have been told to stay calm and remain indoors.

According to Russian local media, ‘Operation Fortress’ has been activated in Rostov-on-Don.

It is a plan for personnel to be in ‘full readiness’, 161.ru reported.

Russia’s secret service are now looking to detain Yevgeny while senior generals have called on Wagner fighters to stand down in what is being called a Russian ‘civil war’.

As the news broke, the US confirmed it is monitoring the situation and said: ‘We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments.’

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