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The Russian government said the commander of the rebel mercenary force Wagner will head to Belarus and not face charges after calling off his forces’ advance towards Moscow, easing the country’s most serious security crisis in decades.
The hostility between the head of Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin Russian military officers reached a violent peak in the past day, as his forces captured a major army headquarters in southern Russia on Saturday and then turned north to threaten the capital.
Within hours of Prigozhin’s transformation, the The Kremlin He announced that he was leaving for Belarus and that Russia would not prosecute him or the Wagner members.
It was a tragic day, as President Vladimir Putin warned of civil war, Moscow told locals to stay off the streets and Kiev enjoyed the chaos engulfing its enemy.
The tide changed abruptly when Prigozhin made the startling declaration that his forces were “turning our ranks back to field camps” to avoid bloodshed in the Russian capital.
Prigozhin, who has bitterly feuded with Moscow’s military leadership even as his group led parts of Russia’s offensive into Ukraine, said he understood the importance of the moment and did not want “Russian bloodshed”.
Early Sunday, Wagner withdrew fighters and equipment from Rostov-on-Don, where they took control of the military headquarters, said the region’s governor.
But before they left, dozens of residents cheered and chanted “Wagner! Wagner!” outside the military headquarters they had captured.
Authorities in the southern Lipetsk region announced the lifting of restrictions after earlier reporting of Wagner fighters in their territory, with the local capital located 420 kilometers (260 miles) south of Moscow.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he had negotiated a truce with Prigozhin, taking advantage of Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later told reporters that “the criminal case against him (Prigozhin) will be dropped. He himself will go to Belarus.”
Peskov also said that Wagner members who took part in what authorities described as an “armed rebellion” would not be prosecuted.
Peskov added that “avoiding bloodshed, internal confrontation and clashes whose results cannot be predicted was the ultimate goal.”
In Ukraine, government officials said the situation had “humiliated” Putin.
“Prigozhin humiliated Putin / the state and showed that there is no longer a monopoly on violence,” presidential aide Mykhailo Podolak said on Twitter.
While Russia claimed the insurrection had no impact on its campaign in Ukraine, Kiev said the unrest presented a “window of opportunity” as the nation presses its long-awaited counter-offensive.
Analysts said there could be consequences for Prigozhin and Wagner.
“There has to be, otherwise the message is that military force can openly challenge the state, and others have to learn that the Russian state really has a monopoly on violence within the country,” said Samuel Bendett, a researcher at the Naval Center. Analytics, Twitter.
Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, said cooperation between Wagner and the Russian military is likely to be affected.
“It is likely that Putin and the security services will try to weaken Wagner or remove Prigozhin,” Lee wrote on Twitter.
“With Wagner’s presence abroad, the biggest impacts of this event may be felt in the Middle East and North Africa/Africa region,” where Wagner has a significant presence.
And US media reported that while the Kremlin appeared to be cramped on its feet, US spy agencies had picked up signs days earlier that Prigozhin was planning to move.
The Washington Post said they had begun tracking indications that Prigozhin and his mercenary forces intended to move against the military leadership in mid-June, adding that US spy agencies believe put it in Wagner’s chief was told he was planning his mutiny at least a day before it happened.
The United States and its allies publicly remained on the sidelines while officials waited to see how the revolution would play out.
US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain amid fears that Putin’s control over the nuclear-armed country could be waning.
Moscow issued a stern warning to the United States and its allies to stay away.
“The rebellion serves Russia’s external enemies,” the State Department said.
Prior to Prigozhin’s rise, Russian regular forces had launched what one of the region’s governors called an “anti-terrorist operation” to stop Wagner’s advance north on a major highway towards Moscow.
In the capital, the mayor urged Muscovites to stay home and declared Monday a day off work.
Security was tightened in the city centre, where armed men in protective vests guarded the parliament building, and Red Square was closed to the public.
“I don’t know how to act. Anyway, it’s sad that this happened,” Jelena, 35, told AFP, refusing to reveal her last name.
The state agency TASS, citing the Federal Road Agency, reported that all restrictions on road traffic in Rostov, Lipetsk and other regions during the crisis have been lifted.
The measures came after Prigozhin announced that his forces had taken control of the military command center and air base in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve center of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prigozhin of a “stab in the back” that posed a threat to Russia’s very survival.
Calling for national unity, Putin said, “Any internal unrest is a mortal threat to our state and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and our people.”
“Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to betrayal,” Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who has begun building his power base as a catering contractor.
As the rebel force headed north through Voronezh and Lipetsk toward Moscow, the capital’s mayor announced that “anti-terror” measures had been taken.
Citing a law enforcement source, TASS reported that critical facilities were “under enhanced protection.”
As Prigozhin’s team fought in the vanguard of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, it repeatedly blamed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, for the deaths of its fighters.
The hostility between the head of Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin Russian military officers reached a violent peak in the past day, as his forces captured a major army headquarters in southern Russia on Saturday and then turned north to threaten the capital.
Within hours of Prigozhin’s transformation, the The Kremlin He announced that he was leaving for Belarus and that Russia would not prosecute him or the Wagner members.
It was a tragic day, as President Vladimir Putin warned of civil war, Moscow told locals to stay off the streets and Kiev enjoyed the chaos engulfing its enemy.
The tide changed abruptly when Prigozhin made the startling declaration that his forces were “turning our ranks back to field camps” to avoid bloodshed in the Russian capital.
Prigozhin, who has bitterly feuded with Moscow’s military leadership even as his group led parts of Russia’s offensive into Ukraine, said he understood the importance of the moment and did not want “Russian bloodshed”.
Early Sunday, Wagner withdrew fighters and equipment from Rostov-on-Don, where they took control of the military headquarters, said the region’s governor.
But before they left, dozens of residents cheered and chanted “Wagner! Wagner!” outside the military headquarters they had captured.
Authorities in the southern Lipetsk region announced the lifting of restrictions after earlier reporting of Wagner fighters in their territory, with the local capital located 420 kilometers (260 miles) south of Moscow.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he had negotiated a truce with Prigozhin, taking advantage of Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later told reporters that “the criminal case against him (Prigozhin) will be dropped. He himself will go to Belarus.”
Peskov also said that Wagner members who took part in what authorities described as an “armed rebellion” would not be prosecuted.
Peskov added that “avoiding bloodshed, internal confrontation and clashes whose results cannot be predicted was the ultimate goal.”
In Ukraine, government officials said the situation had “humiliated” Putin.
“Prigozhin humiliated Putin / the state and showed that there is no longer a monopoly on violence,” presidential aide Mykhailo Podolak said on Twitter.
While Russia claimed the insurrection had no impact on its campaign in Ukraine, Kiev said the unrest presented a “window of opportunity” as the nation presses its long-awaited counter-offensive.
Analysts said there could be consequences for Prigozhin and Wagner.
“There has to be, otherwise the message is that military force can openly challenge the state, and others have to learn that the Russian state really has a monopoly on violence within the country,” said Samuel Bendett, a researcher at the Naval Center. Analytics, Twitter.
Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, said cooperation between Wagner and the Russian military is likely to be affected.
“It is likely that Putin and the security services will try to weaken Wagner or remove Prigozhin,” Lee wrote on Twitter.
“With Wagner’s presence abroad, the biggest impacts of this event may be felt in the Middle East and North Africa/Africa region,” where Wagner has a significant presence.
And US media reported that while the Kremlin appeared to be cramped on its feet, US spy agencies had picked up signs days earlier that Prigozhin was planning to move.
The Washington Post said they had begun tracking indications that Prigozhin and his mercenary forces intended to move against the military leadership in mid-June, adding that US spy agencies believe put it in Wagner’s chief was told he was planning his mutiny at least a day before it happened.
The United States and its allies publicly remained on the sidelines while officials waited to see how the revolution would play out.
US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain amid fears that Putin’s control over the nuclear-armed country could be waning.
Moscow issued a stern warning to the United States and its allies to stay away.
“The rebellion serves Russia’s external enemies,” the State Department said.
Prior to Prigozhin’s rise, Russian regular forces had launched what one of the region’s governors called an “anti-terrorist operation” to stop Wagner’s advance north on a major highway towards Moscow.
In the capital, the mayor urged Muscovites to stay home and declared Monday a day off work.
Security was tightened in the city centre, where armed men in protective vests guarded the parliament building, and Red Square was closed to the public.
“I don’t know how to act. Anyway, it’s sad that this happened,” Jelena, 35, told AFP, refusing to reveal her last name.
The state agency TASS, citing the Federal Road Agency, reported that all restrictions on road traffic in Rostov, Lipetsk and other regions during the crisis have been lifted.
The measures came after Prigozhin announced that his forces had taken control of the military command center and air base in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve center of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prigozhin of a “stab in the back” that posed a threat to Russia’s very survival.
Calling for national unity, Putin said, “Any internal unrest is a mortal threat to our state and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and our people.”
“Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to betrayal,” Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who has begun building his power base as a catering contractor.
As the rebel force headed north through Voronezh and Lipetsk toward Moscow, the capital’s mayor announced that “anti-terror” measures had been taken.
Citing a law enforcement source, TASS reported that critical facilities were “under enhanced protection.”
As Prigozhin’s team fought in the vanguard of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, it repeatedly blamed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, for the deaths of its fighters.
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