state against this threat will be harsh. this was the scene in rostov earlier this morning where wagner forces apparently surrounded a military building. in a video released by wagner — yevgeny prigozhin is heard telling russian military officials he wants to speak to the defence minister — or they'll move towards moscow. hello, i'm gareth barlow. you're watching bbc news. president vladimir putin has said that russia is facing an armed mutiny. it follows a major challenge from the head of the wagner mercenary group. mr putin warned of a harsh response to threats including what he called blackmail and terrorist methods. he admitted that russian forces were not in control of the key

city of rostov—on—don. in a moment, we'll play you mr putin's television address to the russian people. but first, what's led up to this? tanks and armoured vehicles have taken up positions in the southern russian city of rostov—on—don, as a dispute between the army and the wagner mercenary group threatens to degenerate into fighting. videos on social media show heavily armed men in uniform around a government building. the wagner boss yevgeny prigozhin released video of himself inside the local military headquarters in rostov. he says all military installations in the city are under control and working normally. these pictures released form the wagner military group purport to show ngeny prigozhin with armed men in rostov. they say these pictures are taken at the southern military district headquarters in rostov and that he is arguing with deputy defence minister yunus—bek yevkurov and general vladimir alexeyev. the bbc is unable to verify the location of these pictures. earlier — the kremlin ordered the arrest of yevgeny prigozhin — whose men have been fighting

alongside russian forces in ukraine — after he accused the russian military of carrying out a deadly missile strike on wagner troops in ukraine, which the defence ministry denies. anti—terror measures have been introduced in moscow, with armoured vehicles seen on the streets. and the m4 highway connecting moscow and rostov has been closed. here's mr putin's television address to the russian nation. translation: and the actions that split us - is a betrayal of your people, betrayal of the comrades that are fighting on the front line a knife in the back of our people. and this struck russia in 1917 when russia was waging the first world war. victory was stolen from it. politicking behind the back of the army and the people turned into a huge upheaval.

the destruction of the army and the state, the loss of huge territories. as a result was tragedy. russians killing russians. civil war, and benefit was derived by various political adventurers, foreign powers that are tearing the country apart. we shall not let this happen again. we will defend our people, and our state, including against internal strife and betrayal. and that's what we're facing. strife and betrayal. betrayal. strife and betrayal. and when personal ambitions take over the country, over faith in your own people and the cause for which the soldiers of the wagner group are fighting

shoulder to shoulder, those who liberated, the villages and towns of donbas, they fought and gave their lives for the new novorossiya and new russia, giving their lives. and this is the bitter betrayal by those who are pushing the country to anarchy and fratricide. defeat, ultimately. and capitulation. i shall repeat. any internal mutiny is a serious threat to our state, our nation. it is a blow to russia, a blow to our people. and our actions to defend the state against this threat will be harsh. those who consciously chose treason, blackmail and terrorist methods will be inevitably punished.

they will answer before the law and before our people. the armed forces and other state authorities have received the necessary orders. additional measures of an anti—terrorist nature are now in force in moscow, moscow region and other regions. resolute action will be taken to stabilise the situation in rostov—on—don. it remains difficult. in fact, this government and military administrations have been blocked. as the president of russia and the supreme commander in chief, as a citizen of russia, i shall do everything to defend the country, to defend the constitutional system, life and security, and the freedom of people. those who organised and prepared the armed mutiny, those who took up arms against their comrades have betrayed russia and will answer for it. that was vladimir putin's addressed

to the russian nation. earlier, yevgeny prigozhin announced what he called a march forjustice, saying anyone who stood in his way would be eliminated. but he says this is not a coup. translation: they've been shooting at us. i we've been shooting at them. and that has been going on these eight long years from 2014 to 2022. sometimes the amount of shelling and exchange of fire has increased and sometimes it is eased. on february 24th, there was nothing extraordinary. now, the russian defence ministry is trying to deceive the president and the public by claiming there was insane aggression on the part of ukraine and they were going to attack us along with the entire nato bloc. so the so—called special military operation was launched for completely different reasons.

a couple of things coming into the newsroom, including zelensky saying russia's weakness is obvious. we have also been talking about a city further up the m4 highway towards moscow. the governor of that region says emergency services are working at the scene of a fuel dump fire. that is according to the reuters news agency. that is according to the reuters news agency. earlier, i spoke to our russia editor steve rosenberg, who detailed the timeline of events over the last 2a hours. it began yesterday morning, i was astonished to to watch mr prigozhin�*s video address that was posted online, where he basically accused sergei shoigu, the russian defence minister, of being behind the war in ukraine, blaming him for the war and saying that the justifications that the kremlin had given, the originaljustifications, the need to de—nazify

and demilitarise ukraine, remember those back from february 2022, that this wasn't about those at all. he claimed that the russian defence minister had wanted to be promoted from general to marshal. and at that point, i thought, and other people thought, that perhaps this was a ploy to give vladimir putin a way out of this war, which hasn't gone to plan, to make the russian military leadership the fall guys here for russian military failures. and then yesterday evening, even more astonishment, as mr prigozhin claimed that the russian military, in other words, his own side, had launched a missile attack on a wagner base camp, killing, he said, lots of people, although he provided no evidence of that, and then announcing that the wagner had taken the decision to to start a march of justice. he said it wasn't a military coup,

but he said he had 25,000 wagner fighters who were ready to get rid of evil, he said, in the russian military leadership. so it was clear last night that he was laying down the gauntlet and this challenge, to try to remove the russian military leadership. and then waking up this morning, the reports that wagner fighters had crossed overfrom ukraine back into russia, that they had entered rostov. the reports this morning that wagner is now in control of military sites in rostov, including the airfield, including, it seems, from another video, the major regional military headquarters in rostov. there was this extraordinary video that we saw this morning, again, posted on social media, showing yevgeny prigozhin sitting between two very senior russian military commanders, including a deputy defence minister, arguing with them, basically

delivering an ultimatum to them, saying, "look, i've come here to get the russian defence minister and the chief of the general staff. and until i do get them, we're going to stay right here. we're going to continue to blockade rostov, and we will head to moscow." in the last few minutes, the prime minister rishi sunak has been asked about the situation in russia. he's been talking to the bbc�*s laura kuenssberg. prime minister, what is happening in russia is clearly significant. do you think this will be a coup against vladimir putin? we you think this will be a coup against vladimir putin? we have been monitorin: against vladimir putin? we have been monitoring ring _ against vladimir putin? we have been monitoring ring the _ against vladimir putin? we have been monitoring ring the potentially - monitoring ring the potentially destabilising act of russia's were in ukraine — destabilising act of russia's were in ukraine. we are keeping a close eye on_ in ukraine. we are keeping a close eye on the — in ukraine. we are keeping a close eye on the situation as it is evolving _ eye on the situation as it is evolving. we are in touch with our allies_ evolving. we are in touch with our allies and — evolving. we are in touch with our allies and i— evolving. we are in touch with our allies and i will be speaking to some — allies and i will be speaking to some of— allies and i will be speaking to some of them later today. the most important _ some of them later today. the most important thing i would say is for all parties — important thing i would say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect— all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and that is about as much_ protect civilians, and that is about as much as — protect civilians, and that is about as much as i — protect civilians, and that is about as much as i can say at this moment. the ministry— as much as i can say at this moment. the ministry of defence has said this is the most significant threat to the russian state in recent

times. is that right was blue we have been monitoring for a while the potential of russia's illegal invasion of ukraine to be destabilising, and you have seen the situation as it is developing. we are keeping an eye on it and we are in touch with our allies. i will be speaking to some of them later today and the most important thing is for all parties to behave responsibly and to protect civilian lives. is it good news or bad news, that vladimir putin has been challenged? it is good news or bad news, that vladimir putin has been challenged?— putin has been challenged? it is an evolvin: putin has been challenged? it is an evolving situation _ putin has been challenged? it is an evolving situation and _ putin has been challenged? it is an evolving situation and the - putin has been challenged? it is an evolving situation and the right - evolving situation and the right thing _ evolving situation and the right thing at — evolving situation and the right thing at thisjunction is evolving situation and the right thing at this junction is to evolving situation and the right thing at thisjunction is to make sure _ thing at thisjunction is to make sure we — thing at thisjunction is to make sure we are on top of it, that we are in— sure we are on top of it, that we are in touch _ sure we are on top of it, that we are in touch with our allies, which we are, _ are in touch with our allies, which we are, and — are in touch with our allies, which we are, and i_ are in touch with our allies, which we are, and i will be speaking to them _ we are, and i will be speaking to them later— we are, and i will be speaking to them later today, and that we call on all— them later today, and that we call on all parties to exercise responsibility and to protect civilian _ responsibility and to protect civilian lives. that is the most important _ civilian lives. that is the most important thing for us in the uk to be important thing for us in the uk to he doing — important thing for us in the uk to be doinu. . ,, ., ., be doing. have you heard from president _ be doing. have you heard from president zelensky? _ be doing. have you heard from president zelensky? i - be doing. have you heard from president zelensky? i am - be doing. have you heard from president zelensky? i am in i be doing. have you heard from i president zelensky? i am in touch with our allies _ president zelensky? i am in touch with our allies and _ president zelensky? i am in touch with our allies and i _ president zelensky? i am in touch with our allies and i will _ president zelensky? i am in touch with our allies and i will be - with our allies and i will be speaking to them later today. it is evolving _

speaking to them later today. it is evolving as — speaking to them later today. it is evolving as we speak. if speaking to them later today. it is evolving as we speak.— evolving as we speak. if there are british citizens _ evolving as we speak. if there are british citizens remaining - evolving as we speak. if there are british citizens remaining in - british citizens remaining in moscow, or in russia, for example we know a lot of people have left, but are there citizens in russia? taste are there citizens in russia? we have had long—standing travel advice against _ have had long—standing travel advice against travel to russia, that is on the foreign— against travel to russia, that is on the foreign office website. people should _ the foreign office website. people should check that. we have long—standing advice against travel to russia _ long—standing advice against travel to russia for the obvious reasons, but people — to russia for the obvious reasons, but people should keep checking the foreign— but people should keep checking the foreign office website for updates. there _ foreign office website for updates. there will— foreign office website for updates. there will be more of that interview tomorrow on the laura kuenssberg programme. this video was shared earlier and yevgeny prigozhin denies claims he was disrupting efforts. the main commanding centre is functioning as normal. not one officer has been pried away from their work, so when

they tell you the private military company wagner has obstructed the work of the army, which resulted in things crumbling on the front, things crumbling on the front, things will not crumble on the front because of this.— because of this. when we came to this we reconfirmed _ because of this. when we came to this we reconfirmed a _ because of this. when we came to this we reconfirmed a lot - because of this. when we came to this we reconfirmed a lot of- because of this. when we came to this we reconfirmed a lot of new l this we reconfirmed a lot of new things. a huge amount of territories have been lost, soldiers have been killed, three or four times have been lost, soldiers have been killed, three orfour times more than what it says in documents shown to top leadership. daly sanitary losses go up to 1000 people and some days, those killed are missing and wounded and the so—called refuseniks, who refuse not because they are scared, but because they have no choice, no ammunition, no control. the chief of general staff ran away from here when he found out we were approaching the building. live now to professor mark galeotti, author of �*putin's wars: from chechnya to ukraine' thank you forjoining us. for decades president putin has made his

image, and russia's image, his. iam interested in the fact that neither vladimir putin nor yevgeny prigozhin in their video addresses, have mentioned each other�*s names. what should we take from the fact that there does seem to be a sense of distance between the two men? in some ways the sense of distance is precisely because of the close proximity. we have got to understand that yevgeny prigozhin is essentially putin's invention, his creation, from when he was a restaurateur in the 19905 tips and instantly to spare, to the present day. his trajectory has been facilitated by putin. he regarded him as a useful instrument, whether in terms of trying to disrupt the american elections or running mercenaries. in some ways it is precisely because of this that both people are having to be a little bit

more cautious about directly calling out the other. for yevgeny bogosian, it would be a nuclear option, and for putin it would be added an embarrassing admi55ion for putin it would be added an embarrassing admission that his embarra55ing admission that his creation has turned against him. is there any chance this is part of efforts by putin and the kremlin, and yevgeny prigozhin, to put the focus of blame on the military and attract attention from putin. it would seem if it is, rather braised way of doing it, because intrinsically it does threaten the premiership of putin, it does make him look weak to some degree? i think for that reason we can rule it out. if putin wanted to sack his defence minister, his defence minister would be sacked. he has both the legal and practical political ability to do that. he can blame defeat on whoever he wants. the chief of general staff, the west, aliens. whoever. he doesn't need to go through this very

dangerous and di5ruptive move. it is not only that it is affecting the front line, we see wagner withdrawn, there are talks of some of the paratroopers, who are kept in reserve, are being prepared ju5t paratroopers, who are kept in reserve, are being prepared just in case they need to defend moscow and take back ro5tov. it does di5rupt take back ro5tov. it does disrupt the war effort. but this undermines putin's legitimacy within the elite as a putin's legitimacy within the elite a5 a whole. for all these reasons it would be an extraordinarily expensive and painfully roundabout way of doing something that is actually 5imple. ii, way of doing something that is actually simple.— way of doing something that is actually simple. if, like you say, president putin _ actually simple. if, like you say, president putin created - actually simple. if, like you say, president putin created putin i actually simple. if, like you say, | president putin created putin and wagner —— bogosian and wagner, how did you go about trying to dismantle this threat that he created in the first place? fist this threat that he created in the first place?— this threat that he created in the first lace? �* ., ., first place? at the moment we are in a wait and see _ first place? at the moment we are in a wait and see phase. _ first place? at the moment we are in a wait and see phase. if— first place? at the moment we are in a wait and see phase. if anyone - a wait and see phase. if anyone look5 a wait and see phase. if anyone looks at the seizure of ro5tov, the local garrison, the local national guard force, which is parallel

internal security army, they neither resisted wagner, nor have they joined wagner. everyone is worried, waiting for orders from above. no one wants to take initiative, this is not how the system works. when it comes down to it i suspect that will see this e55entially turn into a 5iege, that ro5tov will become besieged, and they will try to negotiate yevgeny prigozhin's 5urrender negotiate yevgeny prigozhin's surrender to the authorities. whether he will be willing to go quietly, way mill may be another matter. that is the... using military force would be further down the list of options they would like to take. . «a the list of options they would like to take. ., «a ., ,., ., to take. talks about the other leaders of _ to take. talks about the other leaders of state _ to take. talks about the other leaders of state putin - to take. talks about the other leaders of state putin has - to take. talks about the other i leaders of state putin has access to? ~ . leaders of state putin has access to? . ., ., leaders of state putin has access to? ~ ., ., ., , leaders of state putin has access to? ., ., .,, ., leaders of state putin has access to? . ., ., ., , ., ., , to? we have to realise that in many wa s to? we have to realise that in many ways yevgeny _ to? we have to realise that in many ways yevgeny bogosian _ to? we have to realise that in many ways yevgeny bogosian is _ to? we have to realise that in many ways yevgeny bogosian is in - to? we have to realise that in many ways yevgeny bogosian is in a - to? we have to realise that in many ways yevgeny bogosian is in a week po5ition. ways yevgeny bogosian is in a week position. he claims 25,000 troops. yevgeny prigozhin claims a lot of things that turn out to be not the

case. maybe worldwide they have that many troops but currently a lot of them are deployed in africa. the real estimate for his figures in russia and ukraine were closer to 10,000. that is set against a whole parallel 5erie5 10,000. that is set against a whole parallel series of armies. his only real chance is that if there are major defections from the other forces to him. this is i think where the other agencies come in. groups like the federal security 5ervice like the federal security service that you mentioned, which will be desperately looking for any signs of the soldiers getting together and saying, maybe yevgeny prigozhin has 5aying, maybe yevgeny prigozhin has a point, orthe 5aying, maybe yevgeny prigozhin has a point, or the national guard this parallel alternative army, which will be looking to try to close root5 so that even if small groups of soldiers want to desert to wagner's site, they can't get to ro5tov. i think what we are beginning to see it as a whole panoply of what is, after all, an authoritarian police state, being mobilised to try to block off

wagner, ratherthan mobilised to try to block off wagner, rather than actually, at this stage, to take wagner on face—to—face. this stage, to take wagner on face-to-face._ this stage, to take wagner on face-to-face. wagner has been crucial in russia's _ face-to-face. wagner has been crucial in russia's full-scale - crucial in russia's full—scale operation on ukraine. ground and to capture back mood, although there is some progression around back mood. what is this latest situation in russia mean that the warren ukraine? i think it is not going to be decisive, but it does help the russian war effort wagner has been reduced to a shadow of its former self. at its peak it had about 50,000 troops, many of those recruited from russia's labour camps. recruited from russia's labour camp5. mo5t recruited from russia's labour camp5. most of those are dead, wounded, and have or have returned to civilian life. wagner i5 wounded, and have or have returned to civilian life. wagner is much smaller. even if it is just to civilian life. wagner is much smaller. even if it isju5t 10,000 smaller. even if it isjust10,000 troop5, that is10,000, on the whole, quite well trained, battle hardened veterans. they will be

reconstituted after the meat grinder of bakhmut. thi5 reconstituted after the meat grinder of bakhmut. this is so they can be used as reinforcements. not having wagner i5 used as reinforcements. not having wagner is in itself a loss. if other, a gain of the more professional troop5, other, a gain of the more professional troops, have to be diverted to deal with wagner even just a bottle it up, every soldier that leaves the theatre for that purpose, is a soldier who is not there to resist the ukrainian counteroffensive. that is one of the many reasons why putin i5 counteroffensive. that is one of the many reasons why putin is so clearly and visibly angry at what he sees as betrayal. and visibly angry at what he sees as betra al. . ,. . , and visibly angry at what he sees as betra al. ., ,. ., , ., betrayal. fascinating insight from outh, betrayal. fascinating insight from youth. thank _ betrayal. fascinating insight from youth, thank you _ betrayal. fascinating insight from youth, thank you for _ betrayal. fascinating insight from youth, thank you forjoining - betrayal. fascinating insight from youth, thank you forjoining us i betrayal. fascinating insight from j youth, thank you forjoining us on bbc news. as we've heard president zelensky has been reacting to events in russia saying �*ru55ia's weakness is obvious' and that the longer russia keeps troops in ukraine

the more chao5 it will see. we can go live now to kyiv and speak to our correspondent zhanna bezpiatchuk. just give us more on the reaction to events in russia.— events in russia. first of all what i saw in events in russia. first of all what i saw in kyiv _ events in russia. first of all what i saw in kyiv this _ events in russia. first of all what i saw in kyiv this morning, - events in russia. first of all what| i saw in kyiv this morning, almost everybody wa5 i saw in kyiv this morning, almost everybody was following the news from russia. for many ukrainians, this scenario, which is now happening, unfolding in russia, was seen as realistic, as plausible. now people understand that these developments on the russian ground might have very high impact on the war, on the situation on the front line, and i have to acknowledge that there is a kind of hope that, even, potentially, hypothetically, they might mean... one of the first

responses to what was called by the russian president, mutiny and russian, came from the secretary of the ukrainian security council. he is one of those from the ukrainian government who used to command on the developments during this war, and he said that he thinks that it is the beginning of the self—destruction of russia, that this situation might help ukraine to regain its territories and come back to the borders of 1991. it means the regaining of territories occupied by russia, including crimea, and he provided a very optimistic view of this development in russia.

ukrainian president, by the way he highlighted the full—scale weakness of russia. he said that that the longer russia continues war on ukraine on ukrainian ground, the more chaotic get on its own ground. the challenge, though, for the ukrainian military, and for kyiv, and for president zelensky is, that despite the political cool disunity that we are seeing on the side of russia, the reality on the ground is that russia has had a long time to build trenches, to install tank traps, to install mines, heavily across regions of the parisian and donetsk. the physical situation hasn't necessarily changed, and president zelensky has acknowledged that the counteroffensive hasn't been swift as kyiv would like. that must still be in the awareness that there are still thousands of troops in russia, and that they are still

having to fight a very active conflict, regardless of what happens in rostov. , , ., ., in rostov. yes, i can give you a simle in rostov. yes, i can give you a simple example. _ in rostov. yes, i can give you a simple example. overnight - in rostov. yes, i can give you a simple example. overnight we | simple example. overnight we survived a a missile attack. i woke up survived a a missile attack. i woke up to blasts and explosions, and three people were killed. for ukrainians the war continues. just as we saw last night, the russian strategic evasion again and again launches missiles against ukraine in many locations in the country. the situation in the south as you mentioned, the fortifications of

russian troops that continue to fight against ukrainian forces, that is clear and there is the understanding in kyiv, in ukraine, that the situation in the front line is still very complicated. but i would say is that there is a kind of hope, that ukrainian forces and politicians that is the conflict in russia develops and broadens... i’m russia develops and broadens... i'm afraid we are running out of time. to stay with us on bbc news as we follow events in russia. we did not see a first day over 25 celsius until the very end of may but we made up for it thisjune. take a look at heathrow and aviemore where in london heathrow there has been 1a days so far thisjune.

the record is 17. aviemore, we have already got above the previous record of seven by two days and there's still the chance of both those figures to go higher this weekend as we draw in the humid airfrom the south ahead of fresher conditions behind these weather fronts which will bring a change through sunday. through today, still a bit of cloud, low cloud around western coast of wales. a few sharp showers in northern scotland, isolated ones elsewhere. most drier, sunny spells are looking good for the prospect at lord's, queens and glastonbury but it's pretty hot and humid, 25 to 29, 30 degrees quite widely set against an average of what should be 17 to 21 degrees. daytime averages, they will be close to that tonight across the country. temperatures not dropping much lower than around 15 to 17 degrees across most parts of the uk. a very humid and uncomfortable night and start to sunday. there is a change on the way.

the fresher atlantic air starts to push a few isolated thunderstorms before that arrives and still heavy showers in northern ireland but for the far south of england and wales, the chance of a shower is only a very small one. most places will stay dry, very hot and humid towards the south and east. 31, 32 celsius, much more comfortable west of scotland and northern ireland at 17, 18 degrees. that more comfortable air and will push to all into monday. overnight thunderstorms gradually clearing, a lot of some to start monday. a few showers bring across scotland through the day, some heavy thundery and persistent rain to the west of northern ireland later on. isolated shower and sunshine turning hazy for england and wales during monday afternoon but temperatures close to where they should be for the stage injune. 17 to 23 degrees. they will be the same set of values we

see through the rest of this coming week, may be dropping a touch on some wetter spots. always drier and a bit warmer further south you are.

this is bbc news. the headlines: tanks are seen on the streets tanks are seen on the streets as president putin as president putin says russia is in the midst mutiny is a serious threat | says russia is in the midst

of an armed mutiny. of an armed mutiny. translation: an internal translation: an internal mutiny is a serious threat | to our state, our nation, it is a blow to russia, a blow to our people and our actions to defend the state against this threat will be harsh.