"I understood that our own people had come to our own people."
What do Rostov residents think about the "Prigozhin March" a year later?
The capture of Rostov-on-Don by Wagner PMC mercenaries in the summer of 2023 was one of the most dramatic events in the city's recent history. For over a day, the situation teetered between theater (circus?) of the absurd and tragedy, but ultimately ended peacefully late in the night of June 24-25. The armed men left A million-strong city amidst applause and cheers. A year later, Rostov residents barely remember either Wagner or Prigozhin, but they still don't quite understand what it all was, they admitted to a NeMoskva correspondent who walked the scene in search of eyewitnesses. We'll tell you what came out of it.
Rostov in June is true to itself and typically relaxed. Dozens of cafes are open, and the summer terraces are packed with people. Girls in summer dresses stroll, cyclists ride… In 2024, there's nothing to indicate that the city was captured for a day by a private mercenary army.
The asphalt near the Southern Military District (SMD) headquarters, damaged by armored vehicles, was repaired within a few days, according to city authorities. ReportedIt cost at least 30 million rubles. Life here is normal now—buses are running along the road, and a guard is on duty at the headquarters.
The gates of the circus, where it's epic stuck A tank, also undergoing repairs. For several weeks, the building has been entangled in scaffolding and draped in a huge decorative banner—gates, windows, and gymnasts painted on them. "Construction for a time, a circus for centuries!" reads the sign on the false wall.
Rostov-on-Don exactly one year ago
Because of the drapery, it is impossible to see what remains of the makeshift memorial to Yevgeny Prigozhin that appeared near the walls of the circus immediately after his death.
"There were lots of flowers, candles, and Wagnerian flags," a consultant at a local perfume shop told NeMoskva. "But someone kept removing them. After a while, you'd pass by and they'd be gone."
A year later, the “memorial” became purely symbolic – a portrait of Prigozhin, a couple of carnations, and a lamp.
And now they too are invisible.
In a few hours, I walk around dozens of courtyards located in the area of the Southern Military District headquarters - in the area of Pushkinskaya, Budyonnovsky, Ostrovsky - these are the main locations where the "Wagner" were located.
Many of the residents of these streets did not see the “riot” – they sat at home in fear, or even left the city.
Small businesses were also closed that day.
"As soon as we found out Wagner was in the center, we closed up shop and went out for a beer—we realized there wouldn't be any sales," says a bartender at one of the establishments on Pushkinskaya.
At first, the streets were completely blocked off, and local residents weren't allowed out of their yards for their own safety. But then, unable to cope with the influx of onlookers, the Chevekashniks began simply driving people away from themselves—and the potential conflict.
"I went out to walk my dog this morning," recalls an elderly woman in one of the courtyards. "They didn't let me in right away, only when I said I lived here. A soldier near the Southern Military District headquarters said to me, nodding toward the Wagnerites: 'We split into two teams this morning, the ones with red armbands and the ones with white. Don't provoke that team.' And we didn't."
When the mercenaries "softened up," townspeople began approaching them asking for photos. This came as a surprise to many residents.
"These crazy onlookers brought along children, and I think that's wrong," comments a consultant at the perfume shop. "Anything is possible, but going where there are armed people is just stupid."
The girl in the flower shop speaks even more rudely.
— They made a complete clown show with these photos. I didn't want to take part in anything like that.
In one of the courtyards, a young man is cleaning the windows of his car. His three-year-old son is playing nearby. Yuri is not from here – he's from the Luhansk region and moved his family to Rostov several months ago. He observed Prigozhin's "rebellion" from the Komi Republic, where he has been working as a shift worker for many years. He does not support the actions of the "Prigozhinites."
"There's a war going on, no matter what you call it," says Yuri. "They're pressuring us from the outside, and then there's this [thing] inside—it's not good. I like Sergei Bodrov's position: 'In war, you can't speak ill of your own. And afterward, say whatever you want.'"
None of my interlocutors still understands the reasons for Prigozhin's "march" or what it even was. But they have no desire to delve into it either: "I'm not interested in politics," is the standard answer.
The locals treat the mercenaries themselves with sympathy.
"Even before they arrived, everyone knew they were fighting for us. Everyone praised them, saying the Wagnerites were fighting bravely, so people gave them a warm welcome," explains the owner of a tobacco kiosk on Budyonnovsky Prospekt.
Only a few people agreed to talk about the mutiny in detail.
Below are their testimonies and reflections on what happened.
"They didn't seem like evil people."
Julia, 22 years old:
"I heard about Wagner from a friend—she texted me at four in the morning, and I started watching TV. Then I went to the store and saw them standing there quietly, not bothering anyone. Or they'd check cars, see what was there, and then let you go. I didn't talk to them—that's not interesting to me, nor did I hug them; I'm not a touchy person. They were walking around our yard afterwards, asking to go to the bathroom. We brought them food—half of Rostov is generous. The military and police went into hiding that day."
Was I scared? No. If they'd wanted to, they definitely would have killed me, but they certainly came in peace. They didn't look like evil people. So what if they were wearing masks—you can read a person by their eyes. I didn't expect anything bad—you know the saying: "Military and police are like dogs: if someone shows fear or aggression, they'll show aggression too." And if not, then nothing will happen.
I didn't delve into the reasons for the mutiny; it's none of my business. But if they came, does that mean they had a dispute with someone? It didn't just happen. I was told they came because of Zelensky. Well, they came, and the main thing is they didn't destroy Rostov.
I don't consider this a unique event—all sorts of things have happened in Russia! It doesn't surprise me; my whole family is military, and my boyfriend serves in the Russian National Guard, so I'm used to it.
What was that? They were probably just trying to restore justice. If they'd wanted a riot, half of Rostov would have been on fire, but nothing stopped them. Wagner are mercenaries, so someone hired them, someone sent them here. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Zelensky.
"I don't consider them heroes."
Igor, 44 years old, radio engineer:
"We were all quietly staying home that day; we'd been told not to show our faces. There were some brave ones hanging around near the tanks, but that was just kidding. Most of them immediately jumped into their cars and left—I sent my men along, but I stayed behind, just in case. I kept a close eye on everything—Telegram, YouTube, our correspondence. But everything was quiet and peaceful; no one was shooting, no one was hanging around, no one was causing a ruckus. The Wagner guys were decent guys; it was clear they were military men, minding their own business. They weren't scaring anyone."
What was that? I don't get too involved in politics. I think it was some kind of squabble between the two of them—who was fighting whom, I have no idea. The main thing is that it was quiet and no one was hurt. You know, when two people are fighting and a crowd is standing around—well, don't get involved, that's all. I wasn't taking sides; the guys were working, we weren't getting in the way. They didn't come to my house and start imposing order on me. I don't consider them heroes; entering the city with tanks and weapons—what kind of heroism is that? And the fact that they behaved appropriately—that's great, they did. And those who were at the Southern Military District headquarters didn't go looking for trouble either. Basically, everyone behaved correctly; they decided to do it overnight without firing any shots. We were more scared when the drone appeared in the center later. fell – It was scary, yes. The blast was so loud it even shook the windows. You sit there and wonder what to do now – where to run, what to take with you.
But here everything turned out alright.
[War] is like chess. There are two opponents, they're playing, and you're just an observer, and essentially nothing depends on you. You can't influence it, no matter which side you take. Should I enlist in the army and have an impact? My position is this: if [the enemy] comes knocking on my door, I must first and foremost protect my family. I'll agree to protect them at any moment. If it comes to the point where they come to town, I won't run away. For now, I see that my participation is not required; they're managing without me for now.
"It was a minor situation."
Igor, 59 years old, security guard at the billiard room:
"I arrived at Budyonnovsky, and I saw tanks, a cordon, and they weren't letting anyone in. I abandoned the car, walked, and then came back: 'I'm going anyway,' I said. And I broke through."
I came into work, and they [the Wagnerites] were here, wandering around the courtyards. One of them runs in: "We're going to hold a defensive position." His eyes were wild, like they were looking right through you. Something was wrong with them. Another one was running around here – he'd stand [with a weapon] this way and that. I say, "Why are you running?" "They're surrounding me." Fuck.
What was it? An attempted coup. How did I feel about it? Who cares – where would they have gone, how could they compete with the authorities? They're all dirty, tired, what kind of soldiers are they? It's not a serious situation. So what, tanks, machine guns? Chaos is bad. Who stages a coup in wartime? It had to be sorted out later. I'd rather believe Putin than them. Putin has great power, but what about these guys?
"The Ministry of Defense should be in charge of such things."
Sergey, 40 years old, motion designer:
"I first saw the Wagnerites around 11 a.m.—I walked out of the courtyard onto the street, and there were soldiers there, an armored personnel carrier parked next to the Southern Military District headquarters. In another spot, there was a pickup truck with a machine gun, a beautiful, gigantic one. The road was blocked. The guys let people who lived in the area through, but they escorted them out."
I approached them and asked what was going on. They replied that everything was fine, that they had come to resolve some issues of their own. They said that everything was being resolved now, and they might leave by evening. Their conversations were brief; they were trying to shoo people away.
Until lunch, people were still a little panicked, asking what was going on. Some tried to approach and take photos, but everyone was dispersed, and photography was prohibited. And after lunch, groups of people started flocking to them.
On Pushkinskaya, people were walking with dogs, children, strollers... It was interesting, of course.
I went out once in the morning, and then again in the evening. The rest of the time, I watched the events from home. My first impression was that it was calm. The Wagnerites were supposedly cooperating with Russia, and I understood that they were our own people. But the fact that they had cordoned off everything, of course, caused panic.
I still haven't fully figured out what it was. I heard on the news that they were deprived of something at the front. People are fighting, so it's understandable that they were offended by this and probably just came to talk. I think they were right [to come], because if they were deprived of equipment, like, they were given rusty machine guns... These guys are giving their lives. It makes sense to me. I doubt it was a coup. Of the guys who spoke to me, they were all calm, there was no swearing or cursing. But if they had gone further [to Moscow], that would have been a coup. But I don't think they went that far. Honestly, it's a dangerous thing, of course [Wagner]. The Ministry of Defense should be in charge of such things. Because "privateers" are still mercenaries, they can behave in different ways. It's a dangerous situation. And with the crash of Prigozhin's plane... I think it was some kind of punishment for him. There is such a feeling.
“They called their families and said goodbye to their children.”
Irina, 51 years old, employee:
The atmosphere that day was friendly. The "musicians" were friendly, joking, saying they wouldn't do anything to civilians and that they stood for justice. The Rostovites received them well, bringing them water and cigarettes. Then they explained to the Rostovites that they would be shot at, so they would back off. They were kind to the people, allowing them to take photos with the tanks.
A friend of mine lives in a building on Budyonnovsky Prospekt. She left the door open, and some Wagnerites came in and asked for her phone number. They called her family, told them everything was bad, and said goodbye to their children.
"I feel sorry for Prigozhin, of course."
Sergey, 19 years old, student:
How did I get the idea to go downtown to see the Wagners? I woke up to go to college, and I saw a message from my advisor that classes were canceled today. They advised us to check the news. That's how I found out the city center was on lockdown. I arranged a taxi ride with a friend, and we went there together. It wasn't scary at all, we rode with a smile, I knew they were kindhearted and wouldn't do any harm. We got there okay, walked around the center, looked at everything, tried to take pictures with some of the Wagners, but only one gave the go-ahead.
What was interesting there? The soldiers were filming with a drone, observing everyone. I was surprised by the number of people around – no one was scared, everyone was smiling, bringing the soldiers water, food, and cigarettes. We walked around for about an hour and then went home.
I think the Wagnerites wanted justice for the mistreatment they received. Prigozhin's death... I feel sorry for him, of course. He elevated his private company to the highest level because they had achieved great success in combat. And then, in the end, they were treated poorly.
