After movements of his troops from Ukraine and putting Moscow on alert, the leader of the militia, Evguéni Prigojine, announced the withdrawal of his fighters, intended to avoid a bloodbath.
All this for what ? Troops from the Russian paramilitary group Wagner entered the southern Russian city of Rostov on Saturday (June 24). They would have taken control of several strategic military sites there, according to their leader, Evguéni Prigojine, before continuing their progress towards Moscow. In the evening, the militiaman announced, against all odds, that his columns were finally going “turn around” in the direction of the camps of the group, so far installed in eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin finally absolved him of the charges against him, and announced his departure for Belarus.
Here is what to remember from the events of the last few hours, a soap opera fueled by the unpredictable behavior of this militia which claims 25,000 combatants.
The Wagner group goes up to Moscow…
A few hours after rebelling against the Russian military command, Yevgeny Prigojine announced, on the night of Friday to Saturday, that his troops had entered Russian territory and in particular “in Rostov”, not far from Ukraine. Rostov is the seat of the headquarters of the Southern Command of the Russian army, from where the military operations in Ukraine are coordinated. On the spot, he claimed the capture of the local army headquarters and control of several military sites, all “without a shot”. “We will destroy everything that gets in our way”he warned, before claiming to have “beaten down” a Russian military helicopter which had “open fire”.
>> Wagner’s rebellion: we tell you about the night when the paramilitary group of Yevgeny Prigojine launched hostilities against the Russian army
Wagner’s forces were then spotted in two other Russian regions, those of Lipetsk and Voronezh. The arrival of the fighters in the Lipetsk region, which is located about 400 kilometers south of Moscow, confirmed their progress towards the Russian capital. The Kaluga region, whose capital is 180 km south of Moscow, has therefore introduced “vehicle transport restrictions” on some of its routes.
…before turning around
In an audio recording broadcast on Telegram in the evening, Evguéni Prigojine decreed the cessation of hostilities launched during the night. “Now is the time when blood can be shed. So (…) our columns turn around and we go in the opposite direction to return to the camps, according to the plan”he said, implying that he had not planned to reach the capital.
This decision may have been influenced by Belarus. “Evgeny Prigojine accepted the proposal of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movements of the armed men of the Wagner company and measures for a de-escalation of tensions”said the Belarusian presidency, quoted by the state agency Belta. “What is on the table now is perfectly (…) acceptable to resolve the situation, with security guarantees for Wagner’s fighters”according to the Minsk regime.
The Russian capital declares a Monday off in the face of a “difficult” situation
The mayor of Moscow admitted on Saturday afternoon that the situation was “difficult”. “In order to minimize the risks (…), I have decided to declare Monday a non-working day”, except for certain activities and municipal services, decreed Sergei Sobyanin. He called on Muscovites to “limit as much as possible” their movements in the city and warned that traffic could be “blocked” on certain roads and in certain neighborhoods. Public events have been banned until July 1 by the governor of the Moscow region.
During the day, checkpoints and construction machinery were observed around the Moscow ring road, intended to prevent a possible incursion by a column of Wagner. From the night, security measures had been reinforced in the capital, in particular around the most important sites and state bodies and transport infrastructures.
Vladimir Putin denounces “a betrayal”
In a televised address to the nation on Saturday morning, the Russian president spoke out vigorously against the “treason” by Yevgeni Progozhin. “It’s a stab in the back of our country and our people”he said, en complete black, looks serious and martial tone. “What we are facing is nothing but betrayal. A betrayal caused by overweening ambitions and self-interests” of the militia leader, he accusedensuring that the rebels will be “inevitably punished”.
Vladimir Putin has sworn not to “not let” a news “civil war” occur in Russia, promising measures “farms” against the “deadly threat” posed by the armed rebellion of the Wagner group. In the aftermath, those responsible for the Russian occupation in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhya and Kherson gave their support to the Russian president, as did the leaders of both houses of the Russian Parliament and Patriarch Kirill, head of the Orthodox Church in the country. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has announced that he will send his men to the “tension areas”.
Ukraine evokes a military “opportunity” and “advances” on the front
The armed mutiny of the Wagner group illustrates the “obvious weakness of Russia”country immersed in “evil and chaos”, estimated the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a first reaction. In the evening, shortly before the announcement of Wagner’s withdrawal, he accused Vladimir Putin of having “very scared”of “probably hiding somewhere” and of “to no longer be in Moscow”. Earlier, the Kremlin had denied any leaks from the Russian president, who “works in the Kremlin”.
Russians “fight us but they self-destruct”quipped Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar. “What does this mean for us? A window of opportunity”she added, assuring that Ukraine continued its work for the “victoire”. The Ukrainian army subsequently reported “advances in all directions” as part of its counter-offensive against Russian forces on Ukraine’s eastern front.
World capitals are on alert
A telephone interview on the situation in Russia brought together US President Joe Biden and his French counterparts Emmanuel Macron, German Olaf Scholz and British Rishi Sunak, the White House said late Saturday. Earlier, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries (Germany, Canada, United States, France, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom) had already met to “exchange their views on the situation in Russia”according to the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell.
>> War in Ukraine: How are foreign capitals reacting to the Wagner militia rebellion in Russia?
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has “formally” French people are advised against traveling to Russia, “vsgiven the very high volatility of the military and security situation”. Germany called on its nationals to “avoid downtown Moscow until further notice”as well as “government facilities, especially military”. As for Denmark, it recommended to its citizens in Russia “to stay inside” of their homes. For its part, Latvia has announced that it will strengthen security at its borders and no longer allow Russians to enter its territory.