Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner forces returned to base after a 36-hour mutiny that saw mercenaries heading toward Moscow and the prospect of bloody confrontations with regular military defending the Russian capital. A last-minute deal averted the immediate crisis, but the mutiny raised questions about the state of the Russian leadership and the prospect that the long war in Ukraine may be taking its toll on their grip on power at home. The apparent ease with which Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenary forces barrelled hundreds of kilometres towards Moscow from Russia’s south, facing little resistance, indicated that Russian reserve forces were so thin they struggled to respond to the threat. These were the major figures in the biggest challenge to Russia’s military and political leadership in a generation:

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Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner, Prigozhin’s Wagner Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia’s