Muscovites did not notice Prigozhin’s rebellion: cafes were overcrowded

“Passers-by did not react to people in body armor”

On Saturday evening, Sergei Sobyanin turned to Muscovites with a request to refrain from traveling around the city as much as possible. By that time, messages were circulating in telegram channels that Wagner PMC would reach the capital in a couple of hours.

What situation prevailed in Moscow during the anxious hours – in the material “MK”.

By Saturday evening, the situation with PMC “Wagner” escalated. But ordinary Muscovites did not seem to notice this. How they scored on the fact that the CTO regime was introduced in the capital. In any case, I did not hear the cries of “save yourself, who can.” The mayor managed to avoid panic in a critical situation.

In the evening it was calm in the metropolitan metro. I passed several stations with two transfers and saw only two policemen.

More armed men in uniform gathered at Pushkinskaya. There were paddy wagons, OMON officers in helmets were on duty. I counted several dozen people on a patch near the monument to Pushkin. No one was stopped in front of me to check my documents. Yes, and there was no one to check especially: pensioners sat on the benches, the rest of the passers-by quickly ran about their business, no one lingered on the square.

I headed towards the Bolshoi Theatre. On the way, she paid attention to people: it seemed that the people were not aware of what was happening. The fact that Sobyanin recommended to refrain from walking, Muscovites, it seems, also did not know. Street musicians played the violin, families with children ate ice cream, cafe verandas were filled. Regular day off.

Strengthening security was also not evident. In some lanes near the Bolshoi Theater, only traffic police cars were on duty. I met policemen with machine guns at the ready only near the Federation Council building, which was cordoned off. Passers-by did not react to people in body armor.

I got to Red Square. She, too, was cordoned off. Workers dismantled the stage. There was supposed to be a concert for graduates, which was canceled. Sad tourists were photographed against the backdrop of fences. Several policemen with a dog wandered around the square itself, two were on duty near St. Basil’s Cathedral. I didn’t notice the reinforced police squad.

Then I moved to the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge. Here, too, the atmosphere remained calm. Several people were arranging flowers near the Boris Nemtsov memorial. The police were not around.

I sat on the veranda in a cafe near Myasnitskaya Street. I looked through the news. Wagner is approaching Moscow,” the Telegram channels wrote. It seems that of all the visitors to the institution, I was the only one who followed the events. Nearby, people were discussing some kind of concert, they were interested in the recipe of the sauce from the waiter. For several hours spent in the restaurant, I never heard the name of Prigogine.

By 8 pm, loud music was turned on in a nearby bar. A crowd of marathon runners ran down the street. Nightclub employees handed out black balloons with an advertisement for the establishment to passers-by. Several times patriotic motorcyclists passed by, with “Officers, Russians” playing from the speakers.

Moscow lived its own life.

A slight panic was felt only in the grocery store, where I went on the way home. Every second person collected buckwheat. Well, it’s a classic.