The insurgent mercenaries of the Wagner Group found support in Rostov-on-Don, where their one-day mutiny was greeted by kind gestures from part of the population. For others, their departure on the evening of Saturday June 24 was a great relief. “This Saturday was memorable, but without anything dramatic, says Zinaïda P., a librarian, in her forties, over the phone. There were no major disruptions. The soldiers [de Wagner] just blocked traffic on Budyonovsk Avenue and Bolshaya Sadovaya [deux axes du centre-ville]. But pedestrians could move freely. I went there and there were people, curious people like me. The rest of the town was living as usual. Shops remained open and public transport was running. »
The anxiety of part of the population was only visible at the railway station, where thethe platforms were crowded to board the trains leaving the city. ” In the afternoon, explains Zinaïda, there was this rumor that Kadyrovtsy [combattants obéissant au dirigeant tchétchène pro-Poutine, Ramzan Kadyrov] were going to clean up Rostov, but luckily that didn’t happen, no one saw them in town. »
Adding a comic touch to this short-lived insurrection, a battle tank of the Wagner Group, seeking a protected position, got stuck between the two pillars of a gate adjoining the building of the circus, avenue Boudionovsk. The T-72 remained frozen for a few hours, framed by posters extolling the wild beasts of the circus. The absurd nature of the occupation of the city center by the Wagner Group had appeared on Saturday morning, with a contrast between the masked snipers lying on the sidewalks, surrounding armored vehicles ready for battle, and passers-by taking selfies or sipping their cafe across from the Southern Military District HQ.
The Russian war effort struck at the heart
During the day, civilians brought food to Wagner’s soldiers, while others, hostile, harassed them for having wreaked havoc. In the evening, as the Wagner convoy left the city center, a crowd of residents applauded and cheered them. Shortly after, police cars taking up positions around the HQ were greeted with boos. The words “traitors” And ” shame “ came from a crowd of young people.
Mr. Prigozhin’s mutiny struck at the heart of Russia’s war effort against Ukraine. Rostov-on-Don (1.1 million people) is a crucial logistics hub for the invasion of Ukraine, although the main operations headquarters is 30 kilometers further east, in the city of Novocherkassk. A road, rail and river hub, Rostov-on-Don controls the main access route to the occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
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