Latest Update on Wagner Group Mutiny in Russia

A day after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the commander of the Wagner Group, halted his advance against Moscow, Russian authorities met with allies, including those in China and North Korea. That abrupt change of events defused the most danger to President Vladimir Putin’s nearly quarter-century hold on power.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken states that the revolt represents a direct challenge to Putin. In exchange for allowing Prigozhin to leave for Belarus, Putin promised that police would drop criminal mutiny accusations against him and his soldiers.

In a phone chat, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned US President Joe Biden that the world “must put pressure on Russia.”

Because Saturday, when mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin marched towards Moscow, “was a very emotional and stressful day,” Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development advised firms to give their employees a day off on Monday.

Many ministry employees “spent the weekend at their workplace, so we also made this decision for our employees,” the Moscow-based department said on the social media platform VKontakte.

Biden and Zelenskiy Talk Wagner Group Mutiny (9:33 p.m.)

In a phone chat Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed he discussed “further expansion of defence cooperation” with Joe Biden, including air defense and long-range missiles.

“The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored,” Zelenskiy tweeted.

According to a White House press release, the US and Ukrainian presidents discussed Ukraine’s assistance and the country’s offensive to recover Russian-occupied territory. Biden “reaffirmed unwavering US support,” and the presidents “also discussed recent events in Russia.”

Macron: Russian ‘Fragility’ on Show (7:25 p.m.)

According to a Sunday interview with La Provence, French President Emmanuel Macron said the crisis in Russia “should make us very vigilant.” He also stated that it “fully justifies the support we are giving to the Ukrainians in their resistance.”

According to Macron, Prigozhin’s now-halted march on Moscow reveals Russia’s divisions and “the fragility” of its armed forces and auxiliary troops such as the Wagner Group.

Belta reports that Lukashenko spoke with Putin again at 5:20 p.m.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko spoke with Putin on Sunday morning, according to the Belarusian state news agency Belta, without elaborating on the discussion, the pair’s second in as many days.

There was no confirmation of the call from Russian official authorities.

Belta claimed in the same statement that Lukashenko spoke by phone with former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev about the situation in the region.

According to Blinken, the uprising poses a ‘direct challenge’ to Putin (3:18 p.m.).

The Wagner group’s insurrection, according to Blinken, is a “direct challenge” to Putin’s authority, and the US is focused on assisting Ukraine in its struggle to push away Russian forces.

“This raises serious concerns. “It has real cracks,” Blinken remarked on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “We can’t speculate or predict where that will go.” We do know that Putin will have a lot more to answer for in the coming weeks and months.”

“This is a developing story.” “We haven’t seen the last act,” Blinken said, adding that US intelligence has observed no change in Russia’s nuclear posture due to the situation.

On Monday (1:40 p.m.), the Moscow Exchange will resume normal operations.

Even though the capital’s officials proclaimed Monday a non-working day, Russia’s central bank stated trading on the Moscow Exchange would continue as usual. According to a statement on the Bank of Russia’s website, financial institutions will continue to perform critical responsibilities.

North Korea Backs Putin’s Mutiny Proposal (1:30 p.m.)

North Korea’s vice foreign minister, Im Chon Il, told Russian Ambassador Alexandr Matsegora that he hopes the new revolt in Russia is put down successfully. According to the North Korean Central News Agency, the DPRK supports any decision made by the Russian leadership.

Wagner Forces Depart Lipetsk and Voronezh (12:49 p.m.)

According to the RIA Novosti news agency, members of the Wagner group have fled the two regions. They were supposed to be returning to their camps in unknown areas.

Chinese and Russian Diplomats Discuss (11:08 a.m.)

China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing barely a day after Moscow defused Putin’s most serious challenge.

The Chinese foreign ministry has not released any specifics about the unexpected visit other than to state that the two discussed international and regional topics of mutual interest. China should have advertised Rudenko’s visit to Beijing in advance, raising concerns about the timing of his visit.

China’s state media followed the current developments in Russia, with People’s Daily and CCTV airing coverage as the story unfolded. Former Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin wrote an article analyzing what scenarios the revolt could lead to, including regime upheaval.

Roadblocks on Highways Leading to Moscow Have Been Removed (10:20 a.m.)

According to the Moscow government, all roadblocks heading to Moscow are being removed, citing the Federal Road Agency. Monday is still a day off for the majority of Moscow residents.

Russian and Ukrainian troops vie for the upper hand, while the United Kingdom (At 8:40 a.m.)

Russian soldiers are attempting to advance in Ukraine’s east, notably around Bakhmut, while also seeking to deter Kyiv’s counteroffensive in the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson areas, according to an update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s forces have recently reset and “are using the experiences from the first two weeks of the counteroffensive to refine tactics for assaulting the deep, well-prepared Russian defences,” according to the UK defense ministry.

Kremlin soldiers in Luhansk have made a significant attempt to launch an attack in the Serebryanka Forest near Kremina. “This probably reflects continued Russian senior leadership orders to go on the offensive whenever possible,” the ministry stated on Twitter, adding that Ukrainian forces had so far averted a breakthrough.

Italy Says Ukraine Peace Now More Likely (8:03 a.m.)

In an interview with Messaggero, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that developments in Russia demonstrated that Russia’s front in Ukraine is weaker and that he thinks a peace settlement in Ukraine is now closer.

“Putin is not a myth anymore,” he declared.

The US suspected Prigozhin was ready to act, according to the New York Times (8 a.m.).

According to the New York Times, US intelligence services informed senior military and administration officials on Wednesday that Wagner Group head Prigozhin was about to take action against key Russian defense officers.

The agencies remained silent about Prigozhin’s plans, which were described as “both solid and alarming,” because they feared Putin would accuse them of plotting a coup, according to the New York Times.

According to the publication, a small group of Congressional leaders was told on Thursday as fresh plot confirmation became available.

Kazakh Leader Appreciates Event Resolution (8 a.m.)

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has applauded Russian authorities’ efforts to restore constitutional order and secure the safety of their population.