Premier Giorgia Meloni's office said
Saturday she is following closely events in Russia where Wagner
mercenary group commander Yevgeny Prigozhin has launched a
rebellion saying the 25,000 strong group has captured the
southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and is ready to march on
Moscow to bring down the military leadership there amid
criticism of the Ukraine war, prompting President Vladimir Putin
to say the former businessman has stabbed Russia in the back.
"The Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, is closely following the
events that are taking place in Russia and which bear witness to
how the aggression against Ukraine is also causing instability
within the Russian Federation," reported the note from the
premier's office at Palazzo Chigi in Rome.
Private militia leader Prigozhin defied Moscow and attacked its
military leadership, announcing that he controls the Russian
city of Rostov-on-Don having crossed back from Ukraine and
promising to march on Moscow with his 25,000 men, ready to die
if Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu does not agree to meet him.
This spurred the wrath of Russian President Putin, who cried
treason and promised to punish those responsible, saying: "they
stabbed us (in the back), and the events of 1917 will not be
repeated".
In the Russian capital, anti-terrorism measures were set in
train and the Red Square and Lenin's Mausoleum were closed.
Russia's intelligence service, the FSB (formerly KGB), said:
"Prigozhin is staging a coup d'état".
The United States said it was following the crisis and
consulting with its allies, while government sources in Kyiv
said "it's only the beginning".
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that Italians in
Russia were urged to be cautious, but there were "no problems at
the moment".
Meanwhile on the wear front three people are dead in Kyiv after
overnight Russian raids, and rubble is being dug out after a
24-storey building was hit.
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