- Russian Mercenaries Withdraw from Rostov: Agreement Ends Upheaval
- Concerns Over Putin’s Control: Failed Coup Raises Questions
- Prigozhin’s Motives and Retreat: Leader of Mercenary Group Relocates
Overnight, heavily armed Russian mercenaries withdrew from the southern city of Rostov by an agreement that defused an unprecedented challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s authority and halted their rapid advance on Moscow.
According to the agreement mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Wagner group fighters have returned to their bases in exchange for safety guarantees, and the group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will relocate to Belarus.
Putin’s iron grip on a country he has ruled for nearly two decades is in jeopardy after the failed coup. The Italian foreign minister stated that it had dispelled the “myth” of Russian unification.
Prigozhin, 62, a former Putin ally whose forces have fought the deadliest battles of the 16-month war in Ukraine, stated that his decision to advance on Moscow was intended to oust the corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he holds responsible for bungling the war.
He left the district military headquarters in Rostov, hundreds of miles south of Moscow, in an SUV Saturday night. Sunday’s whereabouts were not immediately known.
Overnight, social media posts from Rostov allegedly showed mercenaries withdrawing from the city in a convoy of armored vehicles, tanks, and coaches to the sound of applause, Wagner chants, and celebratory gunfire from locals.
Reuters was able to confirm the video’s location but not its date of production.
“Take care of yourselves,” yelled a woman.
Wagner’s brief insurrection will frighten authorities in a nation more intolerant of public criticism of Putin and his administration.
The Red Square was closed on Sunday, but there were no other signs of increased security on the city’s streets. Monday has been proclaimed a holiday to give things time to settle.
The troops met the mercenaries without resistance after the capital instructed people to stay indoors.
Commander Apty Alaudinov stated in a Telegram video that Chechen special forces that deployed to the Rostov region to resist the mercenaries’ advance were also withdrawing back to where they had been fighting in Ukraine.
After capturing Rostov — the principal rear logistical hub for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — the mercenaries raced hundreds of miles north in what Prigozhin termed a “march for justice,” transporting tanks and armored vehicles and destroying barricades set up to stop them before the agreement to withdraw was reached.
Prigozhin Belarus exile
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, announced late Saturday night that a criminal case against Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped, Prigozhin would move to Belarus, and Wagner fighters who rallied to his cause would face no action in recognition of their previous service to Russia.
Since Lukashenko had known Prigozhin for 20 years, Putin approved his mediation offer, according to Peskov.
Putin stated in a televised address during Saturday’s spectacle that the rebellion posed an existential threat to Russia.
Putin also stated, “We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, and for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history,” threatening punishment for those responsible for “an armed insurrection” and comparing the current situation to the chaos that led to the Bolshevik revolution in 1917.
To persuade Prigozhin to withdraw all of his forces, Peskov declined to disclose whether any concessions were made to Prigozhin other than assurances of his safety — which, according to Peskov, Putin personally vouched for — and the safety of Prigozhin’s men.
Prigozhin railed against the military’s top commanders for months, particularly Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, accusing them of incompetence and withholding ammunition from his troops as they fought to seize Bakhmut in Ukraine.
Wagner, a sprawling international corporation with mining interests and fighters in Africa and the Middle East, has expanded under the leadership of Prigozhin, a former convict whose forces include thousands of ex-convicts recruited from Russian prisons.
This month, he disobeyed orders to sign a contract subordinating his forces to the Defence Ministry. He launched the revolt on Friday after claiming that a military airstrike had slain many of his fighters. The Ministry of Defence denied this.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero published on Sunday, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that Putin created the conditions for Saturday’s uprising by allowing Prigozhin to construct such a formidable private army over many years.
“The illusion of Putin’s Russia’s unity is over. This internal escalation fractures Russia’s military deployment. It is the inevitable consequence of supporting and funding a legion of mercenaries, as stated by Tarjani.
“There is no doubt that the Russian front is weakened than it was yesterday. I hope that calm is now on the horizon. We await Russia’s next actions in Ukraine.
The revolution erupted just weeks after Ukraine’s largest counteroffensive since Russia’s incursion in February.
Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that the events, which prompted a flurry of high-level phone calls between Western leaders, revealed turmoil at the core of Russia.
Also Zelenskiy stated in his nightly video address, “Simply total anarchy”
Sunday, Russian forces shelled the Ukrainian city of Kherson, murdering one civilian, according to the local governor.
Early indications of revolt
According to US media, US intelligence agencies knew Prigozhin would act days before the Kremlin did.
They began tracking indications that Prigozhin and his mercenary force intended to move against the military leadership in mid-June, according to the Washington Post, and US intelligence agencies believed Putin was informed at least one day beforehand that Wagner was plotting his rebellion.
Also the United States and its allies remained publicly neutral as officials awaited the outcome of the revolt.
Vice President Joe Biden spoke with France, Germany, and Britain about Putin’s authority over the nuclear-armed nation.
Moscow issued a stern warning to the United States and its allies to remain on the sidelines.
“The rebellion plays into the hands of Russia’s external enemies,” the ministry of foreign affairs stated.
Before Prigozhin’s retreat, Russian regular forces had initiated what a regional governor termed a “counter-terrorist operation” to halt Wagner’s advance northward along a major highway towards Moscow.
Also the mayor of the capital city urged Muscovites to remain indoors and proclaimed Monday a holiday.
As armed men in flak vests guarded the parliament building, Red Square was blocked.
“I have no idea how to respond. In any event, this is very unfortunate,” Yelena, age 35, told AFP, declining to provide her last name.
TASS reported, citing the federal road agency, that all road traffic restrictions that had been imposed in Rostov, Lipetsk, and other regions during the crisis have been abolished.
After Prigozhin announced that his troops had taken control of the military command center and airbase in Rostov-on-Don, the nerve center of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, the measures were implemented.
The Federal Road Agency advised Moscow residents to avoid the M-4 “Don” main motorway until 10 a.m. (7 a.m. GMT).
The agency published a now-deleted Telegram message saying Moscow and Tula highway traffic restrictions remained earlier in the day.
“A strike to Russia”
Putin called Prigozhin’s “stab in the back” a threat to Russia’s survival in a televised reaction.
“Any internal strife is a mortal danger to our sovereignty and our nation. Putin demanded national unity, describing this as a setback to Russia and its people.
Prigozhin’s “extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason,” Putin stated.
As the insurrection force headed north through Voronezh and Lipetsk towards Moscow, the mayor of the capital proclaimed the implementation of “anti-terrorist” measures.
According to a law enforcement source cited by TASS, vital facilities were “protected with heightened security.”
While Prigozhin’s unit was at the vanguard of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, he repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov for the deaths of his soldiers.
Muscovites were disturbed by the revolt, while Ukrainians were pleased. On Saturday, Muscovites expressed unease or dismissed as a political theatre the standoff between the Kremlin and Wagner mercenaries who had sworn to descend on the capital in a “march of justice” condemning the conduct of the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainians were excited about the possibility of a Russian split 16 months after the Kremlin invaded their nation.
Before the leader of the Wagner private militia announced that his fighters would retreat to avoid violence, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, had declared a “counter-terrorism regime” in effect.
Putin promised to smash the insurrection, but Prigozhin wanted to “restore justice” and dismiss the army’s top leaders.
Like others, Moscow resident Nikolai saw the military preparing to defend the city.
“Of course it’s terrifying — you sit at home worrying about what might occur,” he told Reuters. It is unsettling for you and your loved ones.
Some inhabitants struggled to comprehend the magnitude of the events.
“The news is extremely upsetting and unanticipated. I have just returned from university. Vladimir, a student, said, “I’ve just completed my last exam, and the news came as a complete surprise as I was preparing for the exam last night.”
“I’m not sure how to respond. I have not yet fully comprehended it.”
Natalia Tanich, 48, enjoyed the Russian standoff at Kyiv’s Independence Square, which was full of strollers.
“I appreciate the current events in Russia. She anticipated the inevitable conflict between Prigozhin and Putin. “I do not know what might result. However, I hope they would shoot each other and die.”
Ivan stated that the confrontation in Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine and the target of frequent bombardment since the invasion, was the result of unstable politics and the protracted conflict.
“They started the conflict, and now they’re on the receiving end. “The more forcefully you compress a spring, the more forcefully it returns,” he said.
“The situation in Russia had deteriorated to the point of being untenable. I view the occurrence as a natural occurrence. It will influence the conflict, but I do not believe it will end overnight. We will have to suffer a little.”
