MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared martial law in Russia as the rebel movement of the Wagner group gained strength. A large number of troops have been deployed in the national capital after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Putin's mercenary army, announced that he would oust Russia's military leadership. Turkish President Erdogan has announced his support for Putin amid threats of a coup.

For months, there have been differences of opinion between the Wagner Group, which fought for Russia in Ukraine, and Russia's military leadership. Prigozhin had repeatedly come out against the military leadership, disagreeing with the military's stance and alleging that there were insufficient weapons. However, the situation worsened since yesterday the situation and Prigozhin announced that 25,000 Wagner soldiers had left the battlefront to take over the military leadership. The Wagner Group has announced that it is in control of the military headquarters in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Meanwhile, Putin is trying to prevent the Wagner group from approaching Moscow by any means.