(C) Common Dreams
This story was originally published by Common Dreams and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Mercenary troops withdraw from Rostov as Prigozhin calls off rebellion – as it happened [1]
['Helen Livingstone', 'Hayden Vernon', 'Lauren Aratani', 'Charlie Moloney', 'Adam Fulton', 'Abené Clayton', 'Nadeem Badshah']
Date: 2023-06-23
24 Jun 2023 06.11 EDT Lorenzo Tondo Glued to their cellphones, millions of Ukrainians spent a sleepless night on Friday, after the head of the Wagner mercenary group declared war against his rivals in the Russian military, sparking an unprecedented political turmoil in Moscow – something Ukraine was craving for so long. “Events are developing according to the scenario we talked about all last year,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. “The start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive finally destabilised the Russian elites, intensifying the internal split that arose after the defeat in Ukraine. Today we are actually witnessing the beginning of a civil war.” Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine craved for Russian internal instability as a result of the conflict. On Saturday morning, when the news of Wagner’s insurrection circulated across the country, plunging Russia into the very real threat of civil war, many struggled to believe it was real – until footage being shared online appeared to show Wagner troops with tanks and armoured vehicles surrounding government buildings in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, where Prigozhin claimed to have taken over a Russian army base. “Prigozhin’s group captures military facilities, headquarters and entire cities, meeting almost no resistance on their way, disarming random soldiers and policemen,” said Podolyak. “Putin declares Prigozhin a traitor and an outlaw and announces appropriate orders to the special services, but nothing happens – a management crisis, a de facto loss of power. At the same time, ‘Wagner’ continues its march to Moscow. Ukraine continues to move along its own path. To the borders of 1991.”
Updated at 06.23 EDT
24 Jun 2023 06.10 EDT Rishi Sunak declined to say whether it was good or bad news that Russian president Vladimir Putin was being challenged. The UK prime minister told the BBC: “It’s an evolving situation, and I think the right thing at this juncture is for us to make sure that we’re on top of it, that we’re in touch with our allies, which we are and I’ll be speaking to them later today, and that we call on all parties to exercise responsibility and to protect civilian lives.” Asked whether he had spoken to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenksiy, Sunak repeated that he was in contact with allies “as you would expect us to be coordinated on a situation like this”. Pressed on advice for British citizens remaining in Russia, Sunak said the UK has “had long-standing travel advice against travel to Russia” and “people should keep checking the Foreign Office website for updates”.
Updated at 06.17 EDT
24 Jun 2023 06.08 EDT Emergency services are working at the scene of a fuel dump fire in Russia’s Voronezh region, the governor has said, according to Reuters. Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta said local Telegram channels were reporting the fire and shared footage that showed a column of black smoke. It was unclear whether the fire at the fuel dump was linked to the armed uprising by Wagner PMC. 00:44 Footage appears to show oil depot on fire in Russia's Voronezh – video
Updated at 08.18 EDT
24 Jun 2023 06.03 EDT Zelenskiy says 'no lie can hide' Russia's 'full-scale weakness' amid mutiny Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said “no lie can hide” Russia’s chaos and said the armed mutiny showed “full-scale weakness” in the country. Posting on Twitter, Zelenskiy said: “Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. Who sends columns of troops to destroy the lives of another country and cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying when life resists. “Who terrorizes with missiles, and when they are shot down, humiliates himself to receive Shahed drones. Who despises people and throws hundreds of thousands into the war, in order to eventually barricade himself in the Moscow region from those whom he himself armed. “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. And all this is one person, who again and again scares by the year 1917, although he is able to result in nothing else but this. “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. It is also obvious. Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. We keep our resilience, unity and strength. “All our commanders, all our soldiers know what to do. Glory to Ukraine!” Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. Who sends columns of troops to destroy the lives of another country and cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying when life resists. Who terrorizes with missiles, and when they are shot down, humiliates himself to receive… — Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 24, 2023
Updated at 06.14 EDT
24 Jun 2023 05.58 EDT The Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin – who is now leading an armed rebellion against Russian president Vladimir Putin’s regime – has been one of the most visible faces of the war in Ukraine. Known for his aggressive PR, foul language and a frequent presence near the frontlines, the shaven-headed Prigozhin recruited thousands of Russian prisoners to fight for his mercenary group and feuded openly with the defence ministry over military plans and ammunition supplies. Prigozhin, 62, has for decades been known as “Putin’s chef” due to his company’s Kremlin catering contracts. It’s unclear how friendly he and Putin are, but they know each other and both were born and raised in St Petersburg. A video screengrab shows Prigozhin making a speech after the Southern Military District HQ was surrounded by Wagner fighters in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on Saturday. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images After serving a long prison sentence in the 1980s, Prigozhin started out selling hotdogs in his hometown. He soon began to build up a stake in a chain of supermarkets, and eventually opened his own restaurant and catering company. The US and EU have imposed sanctions on Prigozhin for his role in Wagner. They also accuse him of funding a troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency that Washington says tried to influence US elections.
Updated at 06.12 EDT
24 Jun 2023 05.52 EDT European and G7 leaders are in touch over the unfolding crisis in Russia, the president of the European Council has said. In a tweet Charles Michel said: “Closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds. In touch with European leaders and G7 partners. This is clearly an internal Russian issue. Our support for Ukraine and [President Zelensky] is unwavering.” Closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds.
In touch with European leaders and @G7 partners.
This is clearly an internal Russian issue.
Our support for Ukraine and @ZelenskyyUa is unwavering. — Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) June 24, 2023
Updated at 06.10 EDT
24 Jun 2023 05.46 EDT International policy experts have provided some analysis amid the armed rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group. James Nixey, the director of the Russia and Eurasia programme at the Chatham House thinktank, said: “Prigozhin may find some support in the Russian military (especially considering the ease with which he took Rostov), but he has none in Moscow, among the elite. He’s not Russia’s next president. Meanwhile, Moscow’s defences are bracing themselves. But the rump of the military that does remain loyal will try to soften up Wagner as it approaches. “Putin’s speech clearly showed he was rattled. He did not look confident and he did not reassure. After 24 years, this is the first direct challenge to his authority – even if both protagonists are not calling each other by name. That said, Putin still has more in the tank (excuse pun). He’s spent 14-odd years protecting Russia from a colour revolution. But he was probably right about one thing: ‘Russia’s future is at stake’.” Samantha de Bendern, an associate fellow in Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia programme said: “Rostov is the most important military logistical hub for the Russian armed forces fighting in Ukraine. And yet there were not enough Russian military able or willing to stop Prigozhin taking over the local military HQ. “A heavily armed Prigozhin then sat down to drink tea with an unarmed deputy defence minister and the deputy head of military intelligence, and moralized them like an angry school teacher. This is so surreal that any deep analysis is difficult at this point but the first round seems to have gone to Prigozhin.”
Updated at 05.57 EDT
24 Jun 2023 05.34 EDT Prigozhin directly speaks out against 'deeply mistaken' Putin for first time Commenting on Putin’s televised address, Yevgeny Prigozhin in an audio note said the president “was deeply mistaken” in calling him a traitor. “No one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president … We don’t want the country to continue to live in corruption and lies,” he added. “We are patriots, and those who are against us are the ones who gathered around the bastards,” Prigozhin said. The audio message marks the first time that Prigozhin has directly spoken out against the Russian president. The former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday called on Russians to rally around Putin.
Updated at 05.53 EDT
24 Jun 2023 05.31 EDT Some of the footage online which reportedly shows armoured vehicles and the military at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov. It remains unclear what the context of the footage is, but it has been confirmed that an armed rebellion against Russian president Vladimir Putin’s regime is ongoing: Tanks, apparently belonging to Wagner, aiming their gun at the military headquarters in Russia's Rostov-on-Don pic.twitter.com/x76Orafp3g — BNO News (@BNONews) June 24, 2023
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/jun/23/russia-ukraine-war-live-russia-investigates-mutiny-as-wagner-chief-says-evil-military-leaders-must-be-stopped?page=with:block-6496be918f084ea43c43f78a#block-6496be918f084ea43c43f78a
Published and (C) by Common Dreams
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0..
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/commondreams/
