UPDATE - Rostov Regional Governor Calls On People To Avoid Rostov-on-Don City Center

Muhammad Irfan Published June 24, 2023 | 11:00 AM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2023) Rostov regional Governor Vasily Golubev has called on local residents to avoid traveling to the center of Rostov-on-Don and to stay at home if possible.

"Dear countrymen! Taking into account the current situation, I ask you to refrain from traveling to the city center and, if possible, not to leave your homes," Golubev said on Telegram on Saturday morning.

Earlier, Golubev said on Telegram that law enforcement agencies were doing everything necessary to ensure the safety of residents of the Rostov region.

The governor said that all mass public events planned in Rostov-on-Don for the weekend have been cancelled. The city administration said that traffic routes in the city were going to be temporarily altered.

Security measures have also been strengthened in Russia's Lipetsk Region and local residents have been asked to refrain from traveling in the southern direction. All mass public events in the region have been cancelled, the regional government said on Telegram.

The Voronezh regional government said on Telegram on Saturday morning that a military convoy was moving along the M-4 Don highway. Voronezh regional Governor Alexander Gusev asked local residents to refrain from using the M-4 highway and other major roads in the region. Later on Saturday, Gusev said that all upcoming mass public events were cancelled, adding that the situation was stable.

Anti-terrorist and security measures have also been introduced in the Moscow Region and the capital city itself, according to local authorities.

On Friday, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case for inciting armed mutiny over statements made on behalf of the head of the Wagner Group private military company (PMC), Yevgeny Prigozhin. The FSB said that there was a threat of escalation on Russian territory. The Russian Defense Ministry said that social media reports about alleged Russian military strikes on camps belonging to PMC Wagner were not true.