COMING UP. >> CASEY THANK YOU. >> AN ARMED REBELLION IS APPARENTLY UNDER WAY IN RUSSIA AS A CONVOY OF REBEL MERCENARIES IS HEADING TOWARD MOSCOW AFTER SEIZING A SOUTHERN CITY OVERNIGHT. VLADIMIR PUTIN IS VOWING TO CRUSH THE REBELS ORDERED HELICOPTERS TO OPEN FIRE ON THE WAGNER MILITIA. >> KATIE LA SCALA ON JOINS US LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM WITH MORE ON THIS BATTLE. CARLOS EXPERTS ACROSS THE WORLD ARE DESCRIBING THIS CRISIS AT THE MOST A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE TO THE RUSSIAN STATE IN RECENT TIMES WHICH COULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A CIVIL WAR RIGHT NOW A CONVOY OF REBEL MERCENARIES IS HEADING TOWARDS MOSCOW AFTER SEIZING A SOUTHERN CITY OVERNIGHT IN A SIGN OF HOW SERIOUSLY THE KREMLIN IS TAKING THIS THREAT SECURITY WAS HEIGHTENED IN THE CAPITAL CITY OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS. THE PROLONGED DISAGREEMENT OVER THE INVASION OF UKRAINE BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN MILITARY AND THE HEAD OF REST IS PRIVATE AND WAGNER MILITARY GROUP, YOU HAVE JENNY CRAIG AUZENNE ESCALATED INTO A CONFRONTATION FOR GOES IN ACCUSING RUSSIA OF ATTACKING HIS SOLDIERS AND CHALLENGE. PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN'S JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THE WAR, HE CALLED IT A RACKET PERPETRATED BY A CORRUPT RUSSIAN ELITE NOW RUSSIAN GENERALS IN TURN ARE ACCUSING HIM. TRYING TO MOUNT A COUP AGAINST PUTIN MEANTIME MORE RESIDENTS OF THE MAJOR SOUTHERN RUSSIAN CITY OF ROSTOV-ON-DON WOKE UP TO MILITARY VEHICLES TAKING UP POSITIONS AND CORDONING OFF STREETS FOR GOES IN. CLAIMING HE HAS CONTROL OF THE MILITARY HEADQUARTERS THERE, BUT IT'S STILL UNCLEAR, HOW HE WAS ABLE TO ENTER THE CITY ARE HOW MANY TROOPS. HE HAS WITH HIM SIGNS OF ACTIVE FIGHTING WERE ALSO VISIBLE NEAR THE WESTERN RUSSIAN CITY OF FOR KNOW OF ARE ON EDGE. HE SAYS HIS 25,000 STRONG MERCENARY FORCE WOULD GO ON THE OFFENSIVE AGAINST THE RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY BUT INSISTS THE ACTIONS ARE NOT A MILITARY COUP. 10 ADDRESSING THE NATION TODAY AND VOWED TO DEFEND THE COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE FROM AN ARMED REBELLION. AND THAT'S NOT YOU THIS WOULD BEST WHEN HE'S >> THERE HE IS CALLING THE ACTIONS OF THE TRAIL AND THAT REASON HE CONDEMNED THE REBEL IN A TIME WHEN RUSSIA WAS FIGHTING THE TOUGHEST BATTLE FOR ITS FUTURE WITH ITS WAR IN UKRAINE THAT PUBLIC ADDRESS YOU HEARD THERE WAS A SIGN OF SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION. THE 2 HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR YEARS PYRGOS BUSINESSMAN WHO BECAME RICH THROUGH THE TIES WITH PUTIN WINNING LUCRATIVE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS WHILE BUILDING THE WAGNER, MERCENARY FORCES SHADOWY PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANY THERE THAT FIRST EMERGED DURING RUSSIA'S ILLEGAL ANNEXATION OF CRIMEA IN 2014. PETER LAUREN RUSSIA'S NATIONAL ANTI-TERRORISM COMMITTEE HAS NOW CHARGED PER GOES IN WITH CALLING FOR AN
