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☆ The Kremlin spent over $1 billion on Wagner's mercenary army just to see them capture a destroyed city and then turn around and invade Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Vladimir Putin revealed that the Kremlin spent over $1 billion on the Wagner Group over the past year. The Moscow-funded mercenaries spent months capturing one almost totally destroyed city in Ukraine. Servicemen of the Wagner Group military company guard an area at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Private military companies like the Wagner Group are technically illegal in Russia. The potential for significant bloodshed was averted, but not before the Kremlin-financed Wagner Group managed to down several Russian aircraft and kill the pilots.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, —, Wagner, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Milley, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, they'd, Antony Blinken, they've Organizations: Kremlin, Wagner Group, Service, Defense Ministry, Southern Military District, Private, Bakhmut, French Army, AP, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Reuters, Saturday, CBS News Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Bakhmut, Concord, Rostov, Don, Africa, East, Donetsk, Mali, Belarus, Kyiv

Moscow CNN —Some Russians greeted the weekend’s armed insurrection led by the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, with sympathy, appearing to welcome the mercenary fighters. Roman Romokhov/AFP/Getty ImagesLocals were also seen booing police cars that arrived as the Wagner fighters vacated Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, in an abrupt de-escalation. Over the weekend, checkpoints had been set up on Moscow’s outskirts, and residents braced for Wagner fighters to enter. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters“It was really uneasy yesterday,” Moscow resident Andrey told Reuters, “But look now, people are walking in the streets and it’s all good. But that sentiment runs counter to the messaging from the Kremlin, which has painted Prigozhin and his Wagner fighters as traitors to Russia.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, “ Wagner, Moscow –, Vladimir Putin, “, Roman Romokhov, ”, Dmitry, Natalia Kolesnikova, Maxim Shemetov, Andrey, ” Oleg, Prigozhin’s, Irada Zeynalova, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Alexander Ermochenko, Don, Putin, hasn’t, Putin – Organizations: Moscow CNN —, Kremlin, Southern Military District, Getty, Rostov, Don, ”, Reuters, NTV, Belarusian, Fighters, CNN Locations: Moscow, Russian, Rostov, AFP, ” Rostov, Moscow’s, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Don

☆ Russian mercenary chief Prigozhin is a 'dead man walking,' Eurasia Group's Ian Bremmer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

watch nowRussian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is a "dead man walking" after leading a botched rebellion against Vladimir Putin, according to Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group. Prigozhin is "kind of dead man walking at this point," Bremmer said on "Squawk Box Asia" Monday. Ian Bremmer president, Eurasia Group"Putin has imprisoned and assassinated people for far less than what Prigozhin has done to him," Bremmer added. Rostov is strategically symbolic as the seat of the Southern Military District for the Russian military, a logistical and command hub for Putin's war on Ukraine. A screen grab captured from a video shows Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin making a speech after Headquarters of the Southern Military District surrounded by fighters of the paramilitary Wagner group in Rostov-on-Don, Russia on June 24, 2023.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Ian Bremmer, Putin, Antony Blinken, Bremmer, he's, Wagner, Rostov, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin Organizations: Eurasia Group, Wagner, Kremlin, Eurasia, Southern Military District, Belarusian, Prigozhin, Southern Military, Anadolu Agency, Getty Locations: Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Ukraine, Belarus, Don, Russia

☆ Prigozhin says he's sorry Wagner mercenaries shot down Russian aircraft, but the military might not forgive them for killing its service members
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Wagner fighters downed several Russian military aircraft during their short-lived rebellion. But it's unclear if the Russian military is going to readily forgive the mercenaries for the bloodshed. Wagner fighters also captured a Russian infantry mobility vehicle and a mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle. Video shows Russians cheering for Wagner and Prigozhin as they leave the key military hub of Rostov-on-Don. ReutersQuickly and without any resistance, Wagner fighters captured Rostov-on-Don before making their way toward Moscow.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Prigozhin, ROMAN ROMOKHOV, Russia's ultranationalist, Russia's, Vladimir Putin's, they'd, Antony Blinken, they've, Blinken, Putin Organizations: Service, Group, Institute for, Southern Military District, Getty, Russia's, Reuters, CBS News Locations: Washington, Rostov, Moscow, AFP, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, russia, moscow, Kyiv

☆ How Wagner's short-lived mutiny could shape the direction of Russia's war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Sergei Supinsky | Afp | Getty ImagesUkrainian forces can look to take advantage of the Wagner Group's short-lived armed rebellion, analysts said, with confusion among Russia's military leadership expected to considerably weaken their war effort. A weekend of mayhem has left observers of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine questioning what could happen next. Tony Brenton, former British ambassador to Russia, agreed that the Wagner mercenary group had been the most effective component of Russia's military in Ukraine to date. watch nowUltimately, Barranco said the recent turn of events is likely to provide Ukraine's military leadership with something of an opportunity after more than 16 months of fighting. Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

Persons: Sergei Supinsky, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, John Barranco, Wagner Barranco, Barranco, Tony Brenton, Brenton, CNBC's, Putin, Roman Romokhov, Oleksii Reznikov, Defense Lloyd Austin, Reznikov, Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Afp, Getty, Belarusian, . Marine Corps, Strategy, Security, CNBC, Southern Military, Southern Military District, Ukrainian Defense, U.S, Defense, Twitter, Wagner Group, Stringer, Anadolu Agency Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Kyiv, Ukraine, Moscow, British, Russia, Rostov, Belarus, Don, U.S, Bakhmut

☆ Analysis: The 'mayfly' mutiny evaporates, but Russia is a changed place
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The weekend’s events in Russia seem an almost surreal interruption to the long slog of conflict unfolding in neighboring Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin’s challenge to the Russian state erupted and receded in the space of 24 hours, but the consequences of his short-lived mutiny may reverberate for much longer. Prigozhin’s Wagner forces, for all his boasting, were never going to be a match for the Russian security forces. And yet, the saga was humiliating to the Russian military and at least embarrassing to the Kremlin. One Ukrainian military officer was provocatively shown on social media eating popcorn as he watched events in Russia unfold.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Prigozhin’s bluster, Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Gorbachev –, Putin, Mikhailo Podolyak, It’s, ”, Pavel Zarubin, Russia “, Thomas Graham, Prigozhin’s, Wagner, ” Putin, Staff Valery Gerasimov, CFR’s Graham, Antony Blinken, ” Graham, Russia’s, Phillips O’Brien, “, Hanna Notte, ” Notte, there’s, STRINGER, “ Prigozhin, Stalin, Stephen Kotkin, Kremlin “, Kotkin Organizations: CNN, Southern Military, Kyiv, Council, Foreign Relations, Defense Ministry, Staff, ’, Moscow –, University of St, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Twitter, Getty Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Prigozhin, Rostov, Russian, Voronezh, Ukrainian, Africa, Syria, Bakhmut, St, Petersburg, Andrews, Scotland, West, AFP, Kremlin

☆ Analysis: Mutiny lays bare prospect for Putin of 'forever war' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

But current and former officials in Kyiv say the mutiny offered a startling glimpse into the strain the Russian political system is under. It revealed that Russian reserve forces were so thin they struggled to respond to the threat. A war stretching many more months and possibly years would inevitably mean more deaths and wounded on each side. U.S. officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said much remained unclear, including why Russian forces did not do more to halt Wagner's advance. A senior Central European diplomat said they saw "no immediate effect on the war" from Prigozhin's aborted mutiny.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Andriy Zagorodniuk, Putin, Prigozhin's Wagner, Zagorodniuk, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Dmytro Kuleba, Mykhailo Podolyak, Voldomyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Pavel Polityuk, Andrew Gray, Phil Stewart, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Reuters, Central, National Resistance Centre, Airborne Assault Division, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, KYIV, Ukraine, Belarus, Kyiv, Moscow, Russia's, Russian, hurtling, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Brussels, Washington

☆ Live updates: Russian mutiny questions Putin's grip on power; Wagner leader Prigozhin dubbed 'dead man walking'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A man waves the Russian national flag as the members of Wagner group prepare to pull out from the headquarters of the Southern Military District to return to their base in Rostov-on-Don late on June 24, 2023. An attempted mutiny against the Russian military by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has raised questions about President Vladimir Putin's grip on power and what could be next for the country. Prigozhin's private militia Wagner Group on Saturday seized control of the strategic city of Rostov and advanced an armed convoy to within 200 kilometers of Moscow. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the mutiny exposed "cracks" in Moscow, while Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer told CNBC on Monday that despite the deal, Prigozhin is a "dead man walking." The agreement means criminal charges against Prigozhin and participating mercenaries will be dropped and he will relocate to Belarus, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian reporters.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Antony Blinken, Ian Bremmer, Alexander Lukashenko, —, Putin —, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Russian, Southern Military District, Wagner Group, U.S, Eurasia Group, CNBC, Prigozhin, Kremlin Locations: Rostov, Moscow, Belarus, Russian

☆ The inside man who shook the Kremlin: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, and what's next for him?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Richard Engel | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. A St. Petersburg native like Putin, Prigozhin, 62, has one of the most varied biographies among the Kremlin elite. With the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Prigozhin was able and eager to again prove his value to Putin. As the Russian army came up against surprisingly strong resistance, Wagner's mercenaries came in handy in the bloodiest of battles. The standoff then exploded and Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion on Friday after alleging that the Russian army fired at his mercenaries.

Persons: Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, —, Wagner, Michael A, Horowitz, what's, Prigohzin, Prigozhin, Putin, Read, Bashar al, Assad, Sergei Shoigu Organizations: Wagner Group, Southern Military, Stringer, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Le Beck, NBC News, Putin, Kremlin, Prigozhin, NBC, U.S, Internet Research Agency, Central African, Defense Ministry Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Moscow, Belarus, St, Petersburg, Europe, East, Africa, Crimean, Kyiv, Russian, Ukraine, Syria, Central African Republic, Bakhmut, U.S

☆ Live updates: Kremlin says deal reached to end Wagner insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Rhea Mogul | Andrew Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Wagner fighters pull out of the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday night. It followed an intervention by the Belarusian government, according to the Kremlin, who said a deal had been reached that would see the Wagner boss leave for Belarus. Prigozhin on Friday accused Russia’s military of attacking a Wagner camp and killing a “huge amount” of his men. Wagner troops then took control of a key military facility in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and some fighters advanced toward Moscow. The Wagner boss has agreed to leave Russia for neighboring Belarus, a spokesperson for the Kremlin said.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia’s, Prigozhin, What's, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak Organizations: Southern Military District, Don, Reuters, Kremlin Locations: Rostov, Moscow, Belarusian, Belarus, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian

☆ Chaos in Russia works to Kyiv's advantage, Ukrainian officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Members of the Wagner Group prepare to depart from the Southern Military District's headquarters and return to their base on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Chaos in Russia works to Kyiv's advantage, Ukraine officials said on Saturday, but it remains to be seen whether President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his army can capitalize on the disorder caused this weekend as mercenaries marched towards Moscow. Just complete chaos," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, urging Ukraine's allies to use the moment and send more weapons to Kyiv. "Any chaos behind the enemy lines works in our interests," State-run Ukrinform news agency quoted Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as saying on Saturday. Putin called Prigozhin's actions a "blow to Russia," but there were no immediate signs his rule was threatened.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Zelenskiy, Ukraine's, Vladimir Putin, Dmytro Kuleba, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Kuleba, Antony Blinken, Oleksiy Danilov Organizations: Wagner Group, Southern Military, U.S, U.S . State Department, Kyiv, National Security and Defense Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Chaos, Ukraine, Moscow, Belarus, Kyiv, Washington, Krasnohorivka, Donetsk

☆ Where Is Yevgeny Prigozhin?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's whereabouts were unclear on Sunday, the day after he signed a truce with Russian President Vladimir Putin under which he agreed to relocate to Belarus. Prigozhin late Saturday night left the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov for an unknown destination. It wasn’t clear when and how he would leave for Belarus, and how many of his men will follow suit.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin Organizations: Southern Military District Locations: Belarus, Rostov

☆ Russia pulls back from brink of crisis after deal reached to end Wagner insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Alexey Nikolsky/AFP via Getty Images Putin judges an arm wrestling match while visiting the Seliger youth educational forum in Russia's Tver region in August 2011. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, ” Wagner, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Prigozhin, ” Peskov, Putin, Putin Putin, Joseph Stalin, –, “ Putin, Evelyn Farkas, ’, Vladimir Putin, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Pavel Bednyakov, Peter Zwack, Beth Sanner, ” Sanner, “ He’s, … Putin, Moscow’s, Priogozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Communist, McCain, Putin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, Russia’s Southern Military District, US Army, National Intelligence for Mission, State Department, European Union Locations: Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kremlin, Russia’s Belgorod, Putin Russian, Russian, Rostov, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, –, Canada, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Soviet, Kazakhstan

☆ Russian citizens warned to stay indoors are filming within spitting distance of Wagner troops in Rostov-on-Don
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin marched on a Russian military building on Saturday. Videos on social media show troops from the Wagner mercenary group crowding the streets. Citizens can be seen filming from close distances despite being told to stay off the streets. One clip from Saturday morning verified by the Washington Post shows tanks rolling through the streets of Rostov-on-Don and surrounding Russia's Southern Military District headquarters. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Vasily Golubev, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Don, Washington Post, Military, Southern Military District, Post, Fighters, Reuters, Kremlin Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, —, Ukraine, Russia's

☆ Analysis: Moscow is at risk of losing its iron grip on power in Russia. The next 24 hours are critical
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —This just does not happen in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. This is now an existential choice for Russia’s elite – between the president’s faltering regime, and the dark, mercenary Frankenstein it created to do its dirty work, which has turned on its masters. Among the Russian rich, Friday’s events will remove any question about whether they should doubt Putin’s grip on power. The 1917 removal of Tsar Nicholas II in Russia turned into the Bolshevik Revolution, Lenin and then the Soviet Empire. But it is impossible to imagine Putin’s regime will ever go back to its previous heights of control from this moment.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, he’s, fratricide, –, Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, Frankenstein, Stringer, Tsar Nicholas II, Lenin Organizations: CNN, Russian Ministry of Defense, Prigozhin, NATO, Southern Military District, Reuters, Kremlin, Bolshevik Locations: Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Russian, Moscow, Rostov, Russia, Don, CNN Ukraine, Soviet, Ukraine

☆ Russia turmoil to fuel market volatility, flight to safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The question is how much and how lasting the reaction will be, much of which depends upon unknowable developments." It is reasonable to expect oil and other key commodity prices to rise. If oil prices rise sharply, that will indeed weigh upon equities and reignite stagflation fears. In theory it should benefit from a flight to safety, but in practice a strong dollar can impede it." “Probably bearish Indian stocks too as the dividend they’ve received from cheap Russian oil likely disappears.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, STEVE SOSNICK, stagflation, MICHAEL PURVES, DAVID KOTOK, Putin, Orban, ’, GEORGE BOUBOURAS, JAMIE HALSE, “, Tom Westbrook, Megan Davies, Carolina Mandl, Ira Iosebashvili, Lananh Nguyen, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Moscow, Defense, CUMBERLAND, NATO, MELBOURNE, WHO, SYDNEY, Thomson, & & Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Russian, China, SARASOTA , FLORIDA, Belarus, Soviet, EU, Hungary, Turkey, JAPAN, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Singapore, New York

☆ Russian mercenary boss Prigozhin to move to Belarus under Wagner deal, Kremlin says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District amid the group's pullout from the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoMOSCOW, June 24 (Reuters) - Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus under a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to end an armed mutiny that Prigozhin had led against Russia's military leadership, the Kremlin said on Saturday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's agreement, because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years. Although Putin had earlier vowed to punish those who participated in the mutiny, Peskov said the agreement had had the "higher goal" of avoiding confrontation and bloodshed. Prigozhin had earlier demanded that Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov be handed over to him.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Ermochenko MOSCOW, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Dmitry Peskov, Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin's, Peskov, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Kevin Liffey, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Southern Military, REUTERS, Belarusian, Russia's, Kremlin, Fighters, Defence Ministry, Staff, Russian Defence Ministry, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Belarus

☆ Russia mercenary threat revives concern over nuclear arsenal security
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

To be sure, U.S. officials say they do not see an immediate threat to the security of Russia's strategic and tactical weapons. "We have not seen any changes in the disposition of Russian nuclear forces," said a National Security Council spokesperson in response to questions from Reuters. U.S. intelligence agencies said in their 2023 Annual Threat assessment that "Russia's nuclear material security ... remains a concern despite improvements to material protection, control, and accounting at Russia's nuclear sites since the 1990s." Russia’s nuclear arsenal is the world’s largest, estimated in 2022 at 5,977 warheads by the Federation of American scientists, compared to an estimated 5,428 held by the U.S. “This has always been a super-high (U.S.) intelligence collection priority and the command and control of nuclear weapons in Russia,” said Hoffman.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Ermochenko WASHINGTON, group's, Wagner's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Marc Polymeropoulos, you’re, Ramzan, Kadyrov, Daniel Hoffman, Dmitry Peskov, Hoffman, “, Putin, ”, Jonathan Landay, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, CIA, National Security, Reuters, Federation of, U.S, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Moscow, Washington, Europe, Eurasia, U.S, Washington . U.S, Ukraine, United States

☆ US officials saw signs Prigozhin was planning challenge to Russian military but surprised by rapid escalation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Alex Marquardt Jim Sciutto | Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

US and Western intelligence officials saw signs that Prigozhin was making preparations for such a move, including by massing weapons and ammunition, one Western intelligence official and another person familiar with the intelligence said. Prigozhin had vowed Friday to retaliate against Russian military leadership over an alleged strike on a Wagner military camp and claimed control of military facilities in two Russian cities. A European intelligence official told CNN that the “temperature had obviously been building,” but few could have predicted what Prigozhin was planning. It is not clear to US or European officials how far in advance Prigozhin was planning the rebellion. One source familiar with Western intelligence said it appeared that it must have taken at least several days to organize.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, ”, Putin, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken’s, Blinken, Matthew Miller, “, Stringer Stringer, Kamala Harris, Adam Hodge, Lloyd Austin, Brig, Pat Ryder, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Intelligence, Ukraine, House, European Union, Foreign, Commonwealth, Development, ”, Southern Military District, REUTERS, Reuters Biden, National Security, US, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Japan, United States, Ukraine, Britain, Rostov, Don, Poland

"Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. He later said his men had been involved with clashes with regular army soldiers and had shot down a helicopter. The video showed him telling the generals: "We have arrived here, we want to receive the chief of the general staff and Shoigu. Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev - who was later to appear with Prigozhin in the video from Rostov-on-Don - issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider his actions. An unverified video on a Telegram channel close to Wagner showed the purported scene of an air strike against Wagner forces.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yulia Morozova, Moscow, Prigozhin, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Reuters Wagner, Shoigu, Dmitry Peskov, Sergei Sobyanin, Joe Biden, Putin's, Vladimir Alekseyev, Sergei Surovikin, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey, Daniel Wallis, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Russian Defence, General Staff, Reuters, Don, Southern Military District, Prigozhin, Wagner, Moscow, Russian Federation, PMC, Private Military Company, Russian Ministry of Defence, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Russian, St Petersburg, Moscow, Russia, Rostov, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Voronezh, Bakhmut, Washington , U.S, European Russia

REUTERS/StringerLONDON, June 24 (Reuters) - Following are facts about oil, gas and grains flows in Russia's southern region of Rostov, where the capital Rostov-on-Don was seized by Russian mercenaries. Russia's main grain exporting terminals on the Black Sea are further south, and this area has been unaffected by the developments so far. OIL & GASThe region of Rostov is not a major energy producer but several big oil and gas pipelines cross its territory. Russia is the world's second largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia. Russia's pipeline monopoly Transneft controls many pump stations on the route, including in the Rostov region.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer LONDON, Don, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Andrey Sizov, Sizov, Dmitry Zhdannikov, Ros Russell Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Wagner, Reuters, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Russia's, Russian, Azov, Saudi Arabia, Novorossiisk, Krasnodar, Voronezh

☆ Prigozhin, Wagner Forces Begin Pullback From Rostov
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov as his group pulls out from the city it occupied Saturday. (ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/REUTERS)

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO Organizations: Southern Military District Locations: Rostov

☆ Putin has only himself to blame as infighting engulfs Kremlin insiders
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Vladimir Putin, meet the Law of Unintended Consequences. In the years leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a St. Petersburg-based businessman named Yevgeny Prigozhin emerged as a canny political entrepreneur. After all, mercenary activity was technically barred by Russian law, and Putin could always maintain that interference in US elections was merely the work of “patriotic” hackers. Prigozhin’s feud with the leadership of the Russian military is longstanding, and many observers suggested that this was part of the intricate game of court politics under Putin. After Prigozhin’s forces seized Rostov-on-Don, a video surfaced that showed Prigozhin in a tense conversation with two Russian military commanders.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Putin, Wagner, Stringer, ”, ” Putin, Tsar Nicholas II, Petersburg –, Defense Yunus, Bek, “, Shoigu Organizations: CNN, Southern Military District, Reuters, Saturday, Bolsheviks, Defense Locations: Ukraine, St, Petersburg, Russian, Ukraine’s, Moscow, Syria, Rostov, Russia, Petrograd – today’s St, “

☆ Rebel Russian mercenaries halt advance on Moscow, Kremlin says fighters to face no action
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

On Saturday night, they began withdrawing from the Rostov military headquarters they had seized, a Reuters witness said. EX-CONVICTS IN WAGNER RANKSThe fighters led by Prigozhin, a former convict, include thousands of ex-prisoners recruited from Russian jails. Residents of the city had milled about calmly, filming on mobile phones as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said an offensive was launched near a group of villages ringing Bakhmut, which was taken by Wagner forces in May after months of fighting. Tarnavskiy said the area had been under Russian control since separatist forces backed by Moscow seized it in 2014.

Persons: Prigozhin, Belarus Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Wagner, Dmitry Peskov, Alexander Lukashenko, Peskov, Lukashenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Mark Milley, Hanna Maliar, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, Tarnavskiy, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff, Frank Jack Daniel, Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry, Alexander Smith, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Kremlin, Reuters, Belarus, Defence Ministry, Russia's Southern Military District, Residents, Deputy, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Rostov, ROSTOV, VORONEZH, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Bakhmut, France, Germany, Britain, East, UKRAINE, Krasnohorivka, Donetsk

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