Wagner in control of Russia’s Rostov-on-Don: Why the city matters

Prigozhin has pledged to blockade Rostov and move on to Moscow if Russia’s Defence Minister and top generals do not meet with him in the city by tonight.

What has happened in Russia?

On Friday (June 23), Prigozhin accused Russian troops of launching a rocket attack that killed scores of his fighters. While the grizzled leader of Wagner Group has recently shared a frosty relationship with the country’s top military brass, this was a new low.

1/2

2/2

Immediately escalating the matter, Prigozhin vowed to march to Rostov in retaliation. Over the course of last night and this morning, his forces reached the city and took over military installations. While a number of unverified videos of Wagner troops in Rostov-on-Don have been circulating, it is still unclear whether Russian regulars and Wagner forces clashed in the city.

What is clear, however, is that as things stand, there is a sizable presence of Wagner forces in the city with Prigozhin releasing a video earlier today, where he claimed to be inside and in control at the city’s military command centre.

But, why Rostov?

Rostov-on-Don is the largest city in southwestern Russia, home to a million people, and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. This region borders eastern Ukraine where the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has been raging.

The city itself is approximately just 100 km away from the border and is located along the main route between the border with Ukraine’s Donbas region and Moscow, around 1,100 km further to the north.

Consequently, it is a crucial command and logistical hub for the Russian army, housing the headquarters of the Russian Southern Military District, whose 58th Combined Arms Army is engaged in operations against Kyiv’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, as per DW.

Furthermore, Rostov is also the home base for the command centre of the Russian Joint Group of Forces in Ukraine as a whole.

What are the larger ramifications of this development?

As per the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), any threat to Russian military presence in the city may have far-reaching ramifications for the outcome of the war.

Some observers have gone as far as stating that this is a turning point in the war in Ukraine.

“Taking control of Rostov-on-Don, or at least part of Rostov-on-Don where the headquarters of the Russian army is, is an unprecedented move and it shows how weak the Russian military is,” Roman Goncharenko, international correspondent for DW, said.

However, Prigozhin himself has assured that Russian war efforts will not be impeded. In his statement earlier today, he said that while his fighters were in control of an aerodrome, planes taking part in the Ukraine offensive were “leaving as normal” from the airfield.

“We took [the aerodrome] under control so that the attack aviation does not strike us, but strikes the Ukrainians,” Prigozhin said. “We came here to stop the disgrace in the country that we live in … We are saving Russia,” he added.

For the latest updates, click here.