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Rebel Wagner group downed Russian chopper near city they now control: Report
The rebel Wagner group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, has vowed to topple Moscow's military leadership, saying he and his 25,000 fighters were "ready to die".
A Russian helicopter was reportedly shot down in the Voronezh Oblast region which falls on the way to Moscow from the rebels-controlled city of Rostov-on-Don. In a video shared widely on the internet, smoke can be seen billowing from the debris lying in an area along the M4 highway in Pavlovsk, Voronezh Oblast.
Authorities in Voronezh have advised residents to stay off the main highway linking the two because a military convoy was on the road as the rebel mercenaries led by Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin swarmed over Rostov-on-Don to claim control of the military sites there.
Rostov-on-Don is home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region and also oversees the fighting in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that the mercenaries have taken control of Voronezh – around 500 km (310 miles)south of Moscow – the second city to fall to the rebel group.
Earlier today, Prigozhin, 62, said his forces, who have spearheaded much of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, had entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and controlled its military sites.
"We are inside the (army) headquarters, it is 7:30 am (0430 GMT)," Prigozhin said in a video on Telegram.
"Military sites in Rostov, including an aerodrome, are under control," he added.
Prigozhin said planes taking part in the Ukraine offensive "are leaving as normal" from the airfield, and called on Russians not to believe what they were being told on state television.
"A huge amount of territory is lost. Soldiers have been killed three, four times more than it says in documents shown to the top (leadership)."
The Wagner chief also said his forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter.
(With inputs from agencies)
