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The governor of Russia鈥檚 said Saturday that the Wagner mercenary group has entered the region.

The Lipetsk region is about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow and much farther toward the capital than Rostov-on-Don, where Wagner forces appeared during the night.

Authorities 鈥渁re taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population. The situation is under control,鈥� governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. He did not give details about the Wagner presence.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP鈥檚 earlier story follows below.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed harsh punishment for the organizers of an armed rebellion spearheaded by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key southern city.

Putin denounced the uprising as 鈥渁 stab in the back” in an nationally televised address. It was the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power.

Infighting among Putin鈥檚 lieutenants seems to reveal signs of 鈥榙eep dysfunction鈥�

Prigozhin’s private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britain鈥檚 Ministry of Defense said.

As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is suffering 鈥渇ull-scale weakness鈥� and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from 鈥渢he spread of Russian evil and chaos.鈥�

In his speech, Putin called the actions by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a 鈥渂etrayal鈥� and 鈥渢reason.鈥�

鈥淎ll those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment,鈥� Putin said. 鈥淭he armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders.鈥�

Prigozhin said his fighters would not surrender, as 鈥渨e do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy.鈥�

鈥淩egarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland,” he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel.

Prigozhin鈥檚 private army, known as Wagner, has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals weren’t immediately clear, but the rebellion marks an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field.

鈥淭his is not a military coup, but a march of justice,鈥� Prigozhin said.

Prigozhin posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 kill a single person on our way,鈥� Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted as the day went on, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters 鈥渨ithout a single gunshot.鈥� His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities haven鈥檛 reported any casualties so far, either.

The rebellion comes at a time when Russia is 鈥渇ighting the toughest battle for its future,鈥� Putin said, as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine.

鈥淭he entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us,鈥� Putin said.

Russia鈥檚 security services, including the Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Prigozhin鈥檚 arrest after he declared the armed rebellion late Friday.

In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities declared a 鈥渃ounterterrorist regime鈥� in Moscow and its surroundings, allowing restricted freedoms and enhancing security in the capital.

It was not immediately clear how Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him.

Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that 鈥渁 huge number of our comrades got killed.鈥�

Prigozhin said Wagner鈥檚 forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of that.

He alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu, where they decided to destroy Wagner.

The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps.

Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance.

The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin contracts that earned him the nickname 鈥淧utin’s chef.鈥�

He gained attention in the U.S. when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trump鈥檚 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine.

鈥楬e鈥檚 a war criminal鈥�: Elite Putin security officer defects

After Putin鈥檚 address, in which he didn鈥檛 mention any concrete steps to suppress the rebellion but rather called for unity, officials and state media personalities sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down.

Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers 鈥渟tand for the consolidation of forces鈥� and support Putin, adding that 鈥淲agner fighters must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the commander-in-chief.鈥�

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed Volodin鈥檚 sentiment, saying in a Telegram post that 鈥渨e have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One.鈥�

Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Putin’s 鈥渆very word.鈥�

鈥淲e have the commander in chief, elected by the people, who knows the situation to the slightest detail better than any strategist and businessman,鈥� Kadyrov said. 鈥淭he mutiny needs to be suppressed.鈥�

While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscow鈥檚 war effort as Kyiv鈥檚 forces probed Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Putin and his ability to maintain unity.

The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Ukraine, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions.

Zelenskyy noted the rebellion in his Telegram channel and said 鈥渁nyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself.鈥�

鈥淔or a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it,鈥� he said. 鈥淩ussia鈥檚 weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later.鈥�

Prigozhin’s actions could have significant implications for the war. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said infighting between the Defense Ministry and Wagner will create confusion and potential division among Russian forces.

鈥淩ussian troops in Ukraine may well now be operating in a vacuum, without clear military instructions, and doubts about whom to obey and follow,鈥� Lutsevych said. 鈥淭his creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army.鈥�

Military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers with assault rifles were deployed outside the main Defense Ministry building. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic.

But even with the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled. At one club near FSB headquarters, people were dancing in the street near the entrance.

Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that his forces sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. He said Friday he was ready for a compromise but 鈥渢hey have treacherously cheated us.鈥�

Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, urged Wagner troops to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russia鈥檚 enemies who are 鈥渨aiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation.鈥�

In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said 鈥渢he violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to the stability of Putin鈥檚 perceived hold on power.鈥�

Western countries monitored developments closely. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in the other G7 countries and the European Union鈥檚 foreign affairs representative, his spokesman said, adding that Blinken 鈥渞eiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change.鈥�

Latvia and Estonia, two NATO countries that border Russia, said they were increasing security at their borders.

The Kremlin said Putin spoke by phone with the leaders of Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan about the events.

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Associated Press writer Danica Kirka in London contributed.

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Follow AP coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-war