Wagner head says group standing down after claims of deal: Live updates

Equipment of the Wagner private military company is moving across territory in the southern Russian region of Lipetsk, according to the region’s governor, Igor Artamonov.

He said authorities are “taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population,” adding that “the situation is under control” and that “there are no failures in the operation of critical infrastructure.”

“Since night, we have been at the operational headquarters with the team and representatives of all departments,” Artamonov said. “In touch with all heads of districts and services. Everyone works well and smoothly. … Residents are strongly advised not to leave their homes and should not travel by any means of transport. I understand all the inconvenience, but I earnestly ask you to help us and follow these recommendations.”

Artamonov spoke as geolocated video emerged of a small group of military vehicles, including two tanks on flat-bed trailers, in the Lipetsk region.

An unidentified military column consisting of five vehicles was spotted about 400 kilometers (approximately 249 miles) away from Moscow, in the village of Krasnoye in the region, according to social media video shared by local blogs.

CNN was able to verify the location of the video. It shows vehicles driving along a local road next to the railway tracks.

“Look, these are Wagner fighters, I saw them walking around, they went to some shop and are walking around,” says a man in the video.

There is no independent verification that the small convoy is affiliated with Wagner.

The local administration in the city of Lipetsk said that the entrances to the region’s capital city are blockaded in two directions, according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti on Saturday afternoon.

Artamonov implied that roads had been dug up by Wagner fighters, saying, “Traffic has been suspended on part of regional roads. In a number of sections, the roadbed was deliberately damaged — dug up by excavators.”

He said repairs would begin as soon as possible.

Social media video purportedly from Lipetsk showed a deep trench being dug by a backhoe tractor across one highway.

Lipetsk is the main city in the region of the same name, and it is about 470 kilometers (292 miles) south of Moscow.