Russia News Live: After high-octane drama that pushed entire world on edge, it’s business as usual for Moscow. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led the armed rebellion against President Vladimir Putin, is being sent out of Russia. Though the details of the agreement are very sketchy, it is believed that Belarus brokered a peace deal between Putin and the Wagner chief. The mercenaries, who were reportedly just 200 km away from Moscow, are stepping back. The Wagner fighter are also leaving Rostov-on-Don, the epicenter of the mutiny. Kremlin has said that neither Prigozhin nor his men will be prosecuted. But is it all back to normal? Well, almost. A BBC report says that highway restrictions are still in place in the areas closer to Moscow. This means that Kremlin is still on alert.
Here are the latest updates from Russia:
An eerie calm fell on Russia after the dramatic end to an armed uprising that posed the greatest threat to Vladimir Putin’s almost quarter-century rule.
The man who led the insurrection has gone uncharacteristically quiet. The president hasn’t been seen in public since denouncing the mutiny as “treason” and threatening “harsh” punishment that never transpired. (Read More)
China supports Russia in maintaining its national stability, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday, following the recent escalation in tensions in Russia. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the Wagner mercenary group’s revolt against Russian President Vladimir Putin was a “direct challenge” to his authority, and that the US is focused on supporting Ukraine in its war to drive out Russian forces.
“This raises profound questions. It shows real cracks,” Blinken said Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation. “We can’t speculate or know exactly where that’s going to go. We do know that Putin has a lot more to answer for in the weeks and months ahead.” (Bloomberg)
Well, if we believe Moscow, he is working at his Kremlin residence. But several reports have taken into account the flight tracking data that say Putin left Moscow sometime on Saturday. So far, there has been no televised address or any other statement from the Russian president. And experts say that it is highly unlikely that Putin will simply not press charges and let Wagner go like that.
A glimpse at all the madness that Russia saw in last 24 hours - see pics
From launching more attack on Ukraine to stringent clampdown in Russia, the jury is still out on what Putin will do next. One thing is clear - this mutiny has put a dent in his image of Mr Invincible
A possible motivation for Prigozhin's rebellion was the Russian Defence Ministry's demand, which Putin backed, that private companies sign contracts with it by July 1. Prigozhin had refused to do it. “It may well be that he struck now because he saw that deadline as a danger to his control of his troops,” Herbst wrote in an article for the Atlantic Council. (AP)
It is very well-known that Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko is the man who helped in de-escalating the unprecedented tension. Apart from charges being dropped against Wagner fighters and Prigozhin agreeing to call off the Moscow march, not much is out in the public. Will Wagner's demand of removal of Russian Defence Minister be accepted? No word on that either.
Thought the immediate threat of an advance into Moscow may have passed, however, security remains tight. Latest reports say that an order is still in force for the residents to stay home and not go to thier offices on Monday.
Muscovites on Saturday expressed unease or dismissed as political theatre a standoff pitting the Kremlin against Wagner mercenaries who had vowed to descend on the capital in a "march of justice" denouncing the conduct of the war in Ukraine. (Reuters)
Wagner's lightning insurrection appeared to develop with little pushback from Russia's regular armed forces, raising questions about Putin's hold on power in the nuclear-armed nation even after the abrupt halt to Wagner's advance. (Reuters)
Ukrainians were clearly satisfied, sometimes gleeful, at the prospect of a split in Russian ranks 16 months after the Kremlin's troops invaded their country. (Reuters)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that under a deal brokered by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, the criminal case opened against Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped, Prigozhin would move to Belarus, and Wagner fighters who joined his "march for justice" would face no action, in recognition of their previous service to Russia. (Reuters)
The Wagner mercenary group's march on Moscow has revived an old fear in Washington: what happens to Russia's nuclear stockpile in the event of domestic upheaval. An agreement on Saturday by Wagner's boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to order his fighters back to their camps quelled immediate worries of major conflict inside Russia. But the episode signaled that Russian President Vladimir Putin's grasp on power is weakening. (Reuters)
According to AP, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner Group, has confirmed the cessation of his mercenaries shortly after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced a de-escalation agreement. Prigozhin conveyed in an audio message that he is halting his troops to prevent any further "loss of Russian lives".
According to Russia's state news agency TASS, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated on Saturday that Russia would prevent the Wagner mutiny, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, from escalating into a coup or a global crisis.
Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of Russia's security council, warned that if Russian nuclear weapons were to fall into the hands of the Wagner group, it would bring catastrophic consequences to the entire world.
Medvedev emphasized that the potential crisis would not be confined within a single country's borders, but would instead push the world to the brink of destruction, representing an unprecedented threat involving a significant nuclear arsenal controlled by rogue elements.
Moscow Mayor announces that Monday will be a non-working day to minimize risks.
In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said that it warned Western countries against using the Wagner mercenary group's mutiny "to achieve their Russophobic goals". (Reuters)
Zelenskyy noted the rebellion in his Telegram channel and said “anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself.” “For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it,” he said. “Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later.” (AP)
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces won’t surrender after Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced their military rebellion as “treason” in a crisis that’s rapidly spiraling into the most serious threat to the Kremlin leader’s authority in decades.
In a televised address to the nation Saturday, Putin said those who “organised and prepared a military mutiny, who took up arms against their comrades, betrayed Russia and will answer for it.” He threatened “harsh” retaliation, calling the uprising “a stab in the back” for the country amid the war.
Putin is “deeply mistaken” to attack Wagner and “nobody is going to turn himself in at the request of the president,” Prigozhin said in an audio post on Telegram. His troops were “patriots” who answered the Kremlin’s call to join the war in Ukraine and don’t want Russia “to continue living in corruption, deception and bureaucracy,” he said.
(Bloomberg)
According to The Guardian reports, flights departing from Moscow are completely booked due to the approaching Wagner mercenary group.
Google Maps indicates the closure of roads on the M4, located south of Moscow, which is the path chosen by the Wagner rebels.
Over the weekend, the governor of Russia's Voronezh region disclosed that emergency services were engaged in extinguishing a blazing fuel tank at an oil depot.
Governor Alexander Gusev stated on Telegram that more than 100 firefighters and 30 pieces of equipment were actively operating at the site.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called up his counterpart in Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has expressed support for the Russian leadership. Putin spoke to Uzbek, Belarus and Kazakhstan leaders earlier today.
(Reuters)
BBC reports that the armed group has seized militry sites in Lipetsk, which is near Voronezh. The governor of the city has asked the residents to remain indoors and not travel out. Though he added that the 'situation was under control,' the advisory shows tension.
British PM Rishi Sunak says that the most important thing right now would be to protect the civilians. Reacting on the reports of armed mutiny in Russia, Sunak said that 'all parties must be responsible.'
With aggressive PR, foul language and a frequent presence near the front lines, the shaven-headed Prigozhin is one of the most visible faces of the war, having recruited thousands of Russian prisoners to fight for Wagner and feuded openly with the defence ministry over military plans and ammunition supplies. (READ MORE)
Latest reports say that Wagner headquarters in St Petersburg was raided today. Officers are keeping a watch at the netrance of the building.
"Excessive ambitions and vested interests have led to treason," Putin said in a televised address, calling the mutiny a "stab in the back".
"It is a blow to Russia, to our people. And our actions to defend the Fatherland against such a threat will be harsh."
"All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people," Putin said. (Reuters)
Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin says that his men have seized control of a city in southern Russia. This he says is a bid to topple the military leadership.
Estonia has strengthened its border security and urges people not to travel to any part of neighbouring Russia, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on Saturday. "I can assure that there is no direct threat to our country," Kallas tweeted. Reuters
From Italy to NATO, all European powers taking note of all the events in Russia.