Moscow, June 24: Russian President Vladimir Putin is addressing the nation Saturday, after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin called for armed rebellion and reached a key Russian city with his troops.

Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner private military company, has claimed that his forces had military facilities in Russia's southern city of Rostov-on-Don under their control. Russian President Vladimir Putin Expected To Address Nation Soon on 'Mutiny' Attempt by Wagner Group, Says Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“We will destroy anyone who stands in our way,” Prigozhin said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. “We are moving forward and will go until the end.” Russian Intelligence Accuses Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin of Mutiny for ‘Armed Rebellion’, Orders His Arrest.

Russia's security services had responded to Prigozhin's declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, security was heightened in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and other regions. It was not immediately clear how he was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him.