The Russians are preparing the Rostov headquarters for the defense
13 July, 2023 Fortification structures and the GAZ Tigr IMV on the territory of the headquarters of the Southern Military District, July 2023 The Russian military is building fortifications around the Southern Military District headquarters building, which Wagner PMC mercenaries captured in June. The Russian media reported on this.
The Russian military uses the Southern Military District headquarters for the direct control of the high command of the invasion forces fighting against Ukraine. Locals report that the military is strengthening the perimeter around the building with gabions or, in simpler terms, sand cubes. In some places, these structures are being installed in two rows.
Fortifications on the territory of the Southern Military District headquarters, July 2023
About 30 military personnel have been brought as reinforcement around the headquarters, and armored vehicles, consisting of armored personnel carriers and Tigr infantry mobility vehicles, are on duty behind the fence of the headquarters.
Locals also report that a sniper is on duty on the roof of the building. As previously reported, on June 24, fighters of the Wagner PMC captured the building of the headquarters of the Southern Military District, as well as the officers stationed there. At that time, the mercenaries met no resistance.
T-80BV and T-90A tanks of mercenaries of the Wagner PMC in front of the building of the Southern Military District, June 24, 2023
No public statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense on this matter have been released.
Presumably, the experience of the previous mutiny, accompanied by the capture of Rostov and the killing of soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces, forced the Russian Ministry of Defense to prepare for new potential riots. In addition, local media report that they are also strengthening other buildings of the city's law enforcement agencies. Thus, windows in police stations are covered with sandbags.
It is not reported whether any other measures are being taken to prepare for the defense of Rostov-on-Don besides strengthening the main buildings with fortifications, considering that last time, tanks were used to capture the city.
Capture of Rostov
Militarnyi reported the progress of taking control of the city by Wagner PMC mercenaries in detail. On the morning of June 24, the center of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don was occupied by armed men and convoys of armored vehicles consisting of convoys of tanks, armored personnel carriers, armored vehicles, trucks, and pickup trucks. The convoy entered the city after bypassing the obstacle of buses, which hastily blocked the road at night.
The video shows how the "breakthrough" was passively observed by the fighters of the special unit of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The convoy reached the city center.
Soldiers with white and red armbands took up defense in the streets around the headquarters of the Southern Military District.
Armed detachments also surrounded the buildings of the main offices of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Rostov region.