The governor of Russia’s Lipetsk province says the Wagner mercenary group has entered the region, AP reports.
The Lipetsk region is about 360km (225 miles) south of Moscow and much closer to the capital than Rostov-on-Don, where Wagner forces appeared during the night.
Authorities “are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population. The situation is under control,” the governor, Igor Artamonov, said on Telegram. He did not give details about the Wagner presence.
Authorities in the area, which is in Russia’s south-west, earlier urged residents to stay at home on Saturday after the Wagner group vowed to take up arms to topple the country’s military leadership.
Wagner forces are already in control of Rostov after an overnight rebellion. It appears they have now travelled about 500 miles north as they barrel towards Moscow.
Reuters journalists earlier saw troop carriers and a flatbed truck carrying a tank careening past the city of Voronezh more than halfway to Moscow, where a helicopter fired on them. But there were no reports of the rebels meeting any substantial resistance on the highway.
