Russia-Ukraine war live: Putin says those behind 'armed insurgency' will be punished;

 Russia-Ukraine war live: Putin says those behind 'armed insurgency' will be punished; Wagner boss says he's at military HQ in Rostov - latest updates

Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted that the work of his country's authorities is "blocked" by the armed insurgency against his regime.

In an emergency televised address on Saturday, Putin acknowledged that a "difficult" situation is unfolding in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, where the Wagner mercenary group has seized control of key military sites in a bid to oust top Russian military figures.

"Decisive measures are being taken to stabilize the situation in Rostov-on-Don," Putin said in an address to Russians. "It remains difficult and the work of the civil and military authorities is effectively blocked."

 

Wagner's forces are 'ready to die as Commander-in-Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin

 Wagner's forces are 'ready to die as Commander-in-Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin proclaims to Russian military leaders

Russia has launched a criminal investigation into the headstrong leader of the Wagner mercenary group after he claimed the Russian military had killed "huge numbers" of its fighters in rocket attacks on its bases in Ukraine.

In an unprecedented escalation of his feud with the country's leadership, Yevgeny Prigozhin threatened to "march" on Moscow with 25,000 fighters and punish those responsible, sparking speculation of a coup attempt.

 

He said his team members were "ready to die" as he pledged to overthrow the Russian military leadership.

“We are all ready to die. All 25,000, then another 25,000,” he said in a final series of audio messages. "We die for the Russian people."

 

According to the authorities, the Russian attack on the city of Kherson resulted in two deaths

 According to the authorities, the Russian attack on the city of Kherson resulted in two deaths

Two men were killed after Russian troops shelled the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, the regional governor said on Friday.

 

“In the city of Kherson, the occupying forces attacked a municipal transport company with precision fire. You meet civilian workers who ensure the life of the city. Unfortunately, a 55-year-old man died at the scene of the accident. Five other of his colleagues were injured and hospitalized,” Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram.

In a later Telegram post, Prokudin said another 43-year-old man died from his injuries at a medical facility, despite doctors trying to save his life.

 

Kherson: For eight months last year, residents of Kherson lived under brutal occupation, with reports of torture and disappearances. But in November, Ukrainian forces rushed into the session, driving Russian troops east and liberating the city. Cheering crowds filled the city's Freedom Square with blue and yellow Ukrainian flags and chanted "Slava Ukraine" - glory to Ukraine.

 

The withdrawal dealt a severe blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin's war effort in Ukraine. At the time, Kherson was the only Ukrainian regional capital that Russian forces had captured since the invasion began.

 

But since then the city has been subjected to intense Russian bombardment. In two days in February, the city suffered more than 130 rocket, artillery, and mortar attacks and even direct tank fire from Russian forces across the Dnipro River.

 

Since Ukraine's counteroffensive began, officials in Kyiv have repeatedly warned that Moscow's troops have launched offensives of their own, most recently Friday's shelling of Kherson, as its forces try to drive out Russian invaders from territories they hold.