Medvedev Warns of Catastrophe as Wagner Group Threatens to Seize Russian Nuclear Weapons; Acceptance of Halt Brings Hope for De-escalation

Shafaq News/ Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, issued a grave warning on Saturday, stating that the world would be on the brink of catastrophe if Russia's nuclear weapons were to fall into the hands of "bandits."

Medvedev referred to the Wagner Group as a "bandit group" and expressed concerns about their potential to seize Russian nuclear weapons as they advanced toward Moscow.

Medvedev, a former president of Russia, emphasized that his country would not allow the Wagner rebellion to escalate into a coup or trigger a global crisis.

Sources in Russia indicated that the Wagner Group's forces, supported by 150 military vehicles, were advancing in Lipetsk, located 340 km from Moscow.

The announcement of the armed rebellion by Wagner's commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, against the Russian state has prompted internal reactions, with calls for unity around Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin declared an armed rebellion and challenged Putin, and rejected his authority. A sta

On the other hand, the Belarusian presidency announced that Prigozhin accepted a proposal to halt the movement of his militants toward Moscow and take further steps to ease tensions.

President Putin briefed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on the situation in southern Russia involving the Wagner private military company, and the two leaders agreed to collaborate on addressing the issue.

Negotiations between Lukashenko and Prigozhin lasted the entire day, resulting in agreements that emphasized the avoidance of bloodshed on Russian soil.

Prigozhin accepted Lukashenko's proposal to halt the movement of armed Wagner personnel and undertake de-escalation measures.

The statement from Lukashenko's press service emphasized that a viable option on the table offers security guarantees for the fighters of the Wagner private military company.

Hours after this statement, Prigozhin instructed the convoys of his group to turn back from their advance toward Moscow.

According to Prigozhin, the fighters had made significant progress, covering a distance of 200 kilometers toward the Russian capital in the past 24 hours. However, he has now ordered them to return to their bases.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Wagner forces captured the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the Rostov-on-Don province.

President Putin denounced the rebels' actions as a criminal adventure, "a betrayal of Russia, and treason."

The Russian Federal Security Service has initiated legal proceedings against Wagner's founder, charging him with organizing an armed insurrection.