Ukraine-Russia news – live: Child among four killed in Putin’s strike on restaurant in Donetsk

At least four people, including one child, have been killed in twin Russian missile attacks on a shopping mall in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk in frontline oblast Donetsk, leaving rescue workers to comb through debris for casualties.

Another 42 people present at the restaurant inside the mall were injured, the city council in Kramatorsk said.

The missile attack reduced the major shopping hub to a twisted web of metal beams. One of the missiles also hit a village on the fringes of Kramatorsk, leaving five injured.

One of the witnesses of the attack said: “I ran here after the explosion because I rented a cafe here... Everything has been blown out there.”

The city in frontline oblast of Donetsk has been a target of Russian attacks frequently and a key objective for capturing for Moscow.

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of using S-300 missiles in the attack, which came exactly a year after a similar missile strike on a shopping mall and killed at least 20.

Key Points

• Four, including a child, killed in Russian missile strike on restaurant

• Prigozhin to be investigated after being paid $2 billion in a year - Putin

• US to give Ukraine $500m in additional military aid, announces Pentagon

• Putin finally admits how close Russia came to civil war after Wagner mutiny

• Prigozhin jet lands in Belarus

• Ukraine gains evident around Bakhmut in Donetsk, says UK MoD

Four killed in Russian missile strike on restaurant

03:52 , Arpan Rai

At least four people, including one child, have been killed in eastern Ukraine city Kramatorsk after two Russian missiles struck a restaurant, leaving rescue workers to comb through a shattered building for casualties.

Another 42 people who were present at the restaurant were injured, the city council in Kramatorsk said.

In Kramatorsk, emergency workers scurried in and out of the shattered restaurant as residents stood outside embracing and surveying the damage.

The building was reduced to a twisted web of metal beams. Police and soldiers emerged with a man in military trousers and boots on a stretcher. He was placed in an ambulance, though it was not clear whether he was still alive.

The city in frontline oblast of Donetsk has been a target of Russian attacks frequently.

One of the missiles also hit a village on the fringes of Kramatorsk, leaving five injured.

Zelensky says ‘Russian savages’ shelled Kramatorsk with S-300 missiles

04:41 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of using S-300 surface-to-air missiles on the shopping mall in Kramatorsk in Donetsk.

“Exactly on the anniversary of the Russian terrorists’ attack on Kremenchuk, on the shopping mall, when 22 people were killed, Russian savages again fired missiles at the Kremenchuk district,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address yesterday.

He added: “Today, Russian terrorists also brutally shelled Kramatorsk. S-300 missiles. Three people were killed, including a child. My condolences to the families and friends. As of this hour, more than 40 people are wounded. Assistance is being provided to all. The rubble is being cleared.”

“Each such manifestation of terror proves over and over again to us and to the whole world that Russia deserves only one thing as a result of everything it has done – defeat and a tribunal, fair and legal trials against all Russian murderers and terrorists,” Mr Zelensky said.

The S-300 is a family of surface-to-air missiles, originally developed by the Soviet Union. It was first put into operation in the late 1970s after a decade of development. Military analysts say Russia has appeared to use repurposed S-300 missiles to strike ground targets during the war in Ukraine - a sign of potentially dwindling missile supplies.

S-300 missiles are intended to shoot down aircraft, drones and incoming cruise and ballistic missiles.

Photos capture grim attack on civilians in Donetsk’s Kramatorsk

04:18 , Arpan Rai

Wagner chief walks free after armed revolt. Other Russians defying the Kremlin aren’t so lucky

04:00 , Joe Middleton

Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin led an armed rebellion against the Russian military — and walked free. Others who merely voiced criticism against the Kremlin weren’t so lucky.

On Tuesday, Russia’s main domestic security agency, the FSB, said it had dropped the criminal investigation into last week’s revolt, with no charges against Prigozhin or any of the other participants, even though about a dozen Russian troops were killed in clashes.

The Kremlin had promised not to prosecute Prigozhin after reaching an agreement with him that he would halt the uprising and retreat to neighboring Belarus. That came even though President Vladimir Putin vowed to punish those behind the rebellion.

Wagner chief walks free after armed revolt. Other Russians defying the Kremlin aren’t so lucky

US to give Ukraine $500m in additional military aid, announces Pentagon

03:43 , Arpan Rai

The United States will provide Ukraine with a new military package worth up to $500m (£392m), the Pentagon has announced.

This is the 41st such security assistance package approved by the US for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February last year, marking a show of support.

Ground vehicles including Bradley fighting vehicles and Stryker armored personnel carriers, and munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems have been included in this tranche, a statement from the Pentagon read.

The package “includes key capabilities to support Ukraine‘s counteroffensive operations, strengthen its air defenses ... and other equipment to help Ukraine push back on Russia’s war of aggression,” the Pentagon said.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “sincerely grateful’ for the defence assistance package.

“Additional Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, ammunition for HIMARS, Patriots and Stingers will add even more power,” he said.

Analysis: Exiled warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin sends defiant message in Russia’s game of thrones

03:00 , Joe Middleton

His advance on Moscow has been likened by some to Mussolini’s march on Rome – but can the mercenary contninue to escape Putin’s wrath, asks Kim Sengupta

Exiled warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin sends defiant message in Russia’s game of thrones

Comment: Putin will cling on to power until people inside the Kremlin are up for the fight

02:00 , Joe Middleton

Prigozhin’s march on Moscow will have frightened Putin – but the Russian leader survived because no other senior figures joined the call for change, writes historian Peter Frankopan.

What the coup that never was tells us about Putin’s grip on power | Peter Frankopan

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? The exiled Wagner Group mercenary chief who rebelled against Putin

01:00 , Joe Middleton

Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russia’s war in Ukraine.

As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian military’s toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his country’s military leadership.

Prigozhin, owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, has escalated what have been months of scathing criticism of Russia’s conduct of the war by calling on Friday for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and demanding Prigozhin’s arrest.

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?

Comment: Putin’s two-faced tirades over the Wagner mutiny could still be his undoing

Tuesday 27 June 2023 23:59 , Joe Middleton

Claiming treachery one minute, then praising Wagner’s role in Ukraine the next, may have allowed the Russian leader to steer out of an immediate storm, writes Mary Dejevsky. But such mixed messages expose cracks in his authority that will be hard to repair.

Opinion: Putin’s two-faced tirades over the Wagner mutiny could still be his undoing

Mapped: Has Ukraine made advances against Russia?

Tuesday 27 June 2023 23:00 , Joe Middleton

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raging for 16 months, Ukraine is now pushing back with its long-awaited counteroffensive that has already recorded a number of gains.

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Ukrainian troops for advancing “in all sectors”, having spent the day presenting awards to front-line soldiers in the east and south.

“Today in all sectors, our soldiers made advances. It is a happy day,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address, which was delivered from a train after visiting two frontline areas.

Mapped: Has Ukraine made advances against Russia?

Russian missiles hit restaurant in Ukraine’s Kramatorsk, killing four and injuring 42

Tuesday 27 June 2023 22:17 , Joe Middleton

Two Russian missiles struck the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Tuesday and killed at least four people, police and the military said.

Ukraine‘s national police put the death toll from the attack at four dead and 42 injured.

Emergency workers were pictured moving in and out of the restaurant as residents stood outside embracing and surveying the damage from the strike.

Kramatorsk is a major city west of the front lines in Donetsk province and a likely key objective in any Russian advance westward seeking to capture all of the region.

The city has been a frequent target of Russian attacks, including a strike on the town’s railway station in April 2022 that killed 63 people.

Devastation of 'living hell' Bakhmut captured in eerie drone footage

Tuesday 27 June 2023 22:00 , Joe Middleton

US sanctions gold firms connected to Russian Wagner mercenary group

Tuesday 27 June 2023 20:55 , Joe Middleton

The US on Tuesday imposed sanctions on four firms and one individual connected to the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenaries that led a brief revolt against the Kremlin last week.

The sanctions from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted entities in the Central African Republic, the United Arab Emirates and Russia that were connected to the Wagner Group and its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The sanctions are not directly related to last week’s uprising. The U.S. has previously issued sanctions against Prigozhin and the Wagner Group multiple times, including alleging that he tried to interfere with the 2016 U.S. election.

US sanctions gold firms connected to Russian Wagner mercenary group

The end of the Wagner mutiny has tightened Putin’s grip on Belarus – but Lukashenko won’t care

Tuesday 27 June 2023 19:20 , Eleanor Noyce

The talks between Mr Lukashenko and Mr Prigozhin were very difficult. They immediately blurted out such vulgar things it would make any mother cry. The conversation was hard, it was masculine”.

Vadim Gigin, a Belarusian propagandist, was describing the negotiations between President Alexander Lukashenko and Yevgeny Prigozhin which brought the extraordinary attempted coup in Russia to an end after a tumultuous 24 hours.

The agreement, under which the Kremlin agreed to drop criminal charges against Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries who took part in the rebellion, averted a catastrophic civil war and, arguably, may have saved Vladimir Putin from being overthrown.

Having proven his worth as a vassal to the Russian leader, the Belarusian president is in a more secure position than he has been for years, writes Kim Sengupta:

The end of the Wagner mutiny has tightened Putin’s grip on Belarus | Kim Sengupta

Putin will cling on to power until people inside the Kremlin are up for the fight

Tuesday 27 June 2023 18:50 , Eleanor Noyce

It was over almost as soon as it started. The events that unfolded on Saturday looked ominous. As Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group took control of Rostov-on-Don and began to move on Moscow, the Russian authorities were certainly rattled.

Orders were given to dig up roads, to slow down the column of military vehicles apparently heading north; lorries were lined up to block motorways; Red Square was closed to visitors as steps were taken to boost security; government planes took off for the apparent safety of St Petersburg – though who was aboard was unclear.

Prigozhin’s march on Moscow will have frightened Putin – but the Russian leader survived because no other senior figures joined the call for change, writes historian Peter Frankopan:

What the coup that never was tells us about Putin’s grip on power | Peter Frankopan

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? The exiled Wagner Group mercenary chief who rebelled against Putin

Tuesday 27 June 2023 18:20 , Eleanor Noyce

Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russia’s war in Ukraine.

As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian military’s toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his country’s military leadership.

Prigozhin, owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, has escalated what have been months of scathing criticism of Russia’s conduct of the war by calling on Friday for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and demanding Prigozhin’s arrest.

Ellen Knickmeyer reports:

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?

Mapped: Has Ukraine made advances against Russia?

Tuesday 27 June 2023 17:50 , Eleanor Noyce

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raging for 16 months, Ukraine is now pushing back with its long-awaited counteroffensive that has already recorded a number of gains.

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Ukrainian troops for advancing “in all sectors”, having spent the day presenting awards to front-line soldiers in the east and south.

“Today in all sectors, our soldiers made advances. It is a happy day,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address, which was delivered from a train after visiting two frontline areas.

Here, we take a look at the advances Ukraine has made against Russia and the current state of play:

Mapped: Has Ukraine made advances against Russia?

Baltic states call for NATO to increase security with Wagner in Belarus

Tuesday 27 June 2023 17:20 , Eleanor Noyce

Latvia and Lithuania called on Tuesday for NATO to strengthen its eastern borders in response to expectations that Russia’s Wagner private will set up a new base in Belarus after its abortive mutiny at home.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin arrived in Belarus on Tuesday under a deal negotiated by President Alexander Lukashenko that ended the mercenaries’ mutiny in Russia on Saturday. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wagner’s fighters would be offered the choice of relocating there.

“This move needs to be assessed from a different security point of view. We have seen the capabilities of those mercenaries,” Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics told reporters during a visit to Paris with Baltic counterparts.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said the speed with which Wagner had advanced on Moscow - driving hundreds of kilometres in a one-day race towards the capital - showed that the defence of Baltic states should be firmed up.

“Our countries’ borders are just hundreds of kilometres from that activity so it could take them 8-10 hours to suddenly appear somewhere in Belarus close to Lithuania,” Landsbergis said. “It is creating a more volatile, unpredictable environment for our region.”

“We need to take the defence of the Baltic region very seriously,” he said.

The Baltic envoys’ visit to France comes as Western powers gear up for a NATO summit next month in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

Wagner’s arrival in Belarus should be viewed “in light of the NATO summit and all discussions that we are having about defence, deterrence and the necessary decisions to strengthen the security of the eastern flank,” said Latvia’s Rinkevics.

UN report finds Russia tortured, executed civilians in Ukraine; Kyiv also abused detainees

Tuesday 27 June 2023 17:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian forces carried out widespread and systematic torture of civilians who were detained in connection with its attack on Ukraine, summarily executing dozens of them, the United Nations human rights office said Tuesday.

The global body interviewed hundreds of victims and witnesses for a report detailing more than 900 cases of civilians, including children and elderly people, being arbitrarily detained in the conflict, most of them by Russia.

The vast majority of those interviewed said they were tortured and in some cases subjected to sexual violence during detention by Russian forces, the head of the U.N. human rights office in Ukraine said.

Frank Jordans has the full story:

UN report finds Russia tortured, executed civilians in Ukraine; Kyiv also abused detainees

Belarus leader says he talked Prigozhin back from brink

Tuesday 27 June 2023 16:52 , Eleanor Noyce

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that he had convinced Yevgeny Prigozhin in an emotional, expletive-laden phone call to end a mutiny by his Wagner militia that has jolted Russia.

Under a deal brokered by Lukashenko, an old friend, Prigozhin abandoned what a “march for justice” by thousands of his men on Moscow in exchange for safe passage to exile in Belarus.

His men - who have spearheaded much of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine - were also pardoned and have been given the choice of joining Prigozhin in Belarus, being integrated into Russia’s security forces, or simply going home.

Lukashenko, recounting his role in Saturday’s drama to Belarusian officers and officials, hailed Prigozhin as a “heroic guy” who had been shaken by the deaths of many of his men in Ukraine.

“He was pressured and influenced by those who led the assault squads (in Ukraine) and saw these deaths,” Lukashenko said, adding that Prigozhin had arrived in the southern Russian city of Rostov from Ukraine in a “semi-mad state”.

With Prigozhin’s men having seized Rostov and others heading for Moscow, Lukashenko said he tried for hours by phone to reason with the Wagner chief, who has said he was furious at corruption and incompetence in the military leadership and wanted to avenge an alleged army attack on his men.

Lukashenko said their calls contained “10 times” as many obscenities as normal language.

“‘But we want justice! They want to strangle us! We’re going to Moscow!’” he quoted Prigozhin as saying.

“I say: ‘Halfway you’ll just be crushed like a bug’,” Lukashenko replied.

Lukashenko also said that, earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had sought his help, complaining that Prigozhin was not taking any calls. Lukashenko said he had advised Putin against “rushing” to crush the mutineers.

Prigozhin said on Monday he had never planned to topple Putin’s government but wanted Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, sacked.

“Nobody will give you either Shoigu or Gerasimov,” Lukashenko said he told Prigozhin, finally convincing him that Moscow would be defended and to continue the mutiny would engulf Russia in turmoil and grief.

Belarusian president makes first speech since Wagner jet lands near Minsk after Russian mutiny

Tuesday 27 June 2023 16:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko made his first public statement on Tuesday (27 June) after mediating a deal to halt a mutiny against Russia by the Wagner forces.

Under the deal, the mercenary group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is meant to move to Belarus.

Data from a flight tracking website shows a Russian-registered Embraer Legacy 600 jet, which is linked to Prigozhin, flew to Belarus from Russia on Tuesday.

“We are clearly seeing a new wave of Nato expansion, and an unprecedented build-up of the potential of the alliance’s members in the region, including in close vicinity to our borders,” Lukashenko said, failing to mention Prigozhin.

Belarus president makes first speech since Wagner jet lands near Minsk after mutiny

Russia summons Israel's charge d'affaires over Ukraine ambassador's comments

Tuesday 27 June 2023 16:43 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said it had summoned the charge d’affaires of Israel over comments made by Israel’s ambassador to Kyiv.

Wagner moving to Belarus is bad for Poland, says Polish president

Tuesday 27 June 2023 16:30 , Eleanor Noyce

The movement of Wagner Group troops to Belarus is a negative signal for Poland, president Andrzej Duda said on Tuesday, as he headed for talks with other NATO leaders in the Netherlands.

“We see what is happening, the relocation of Russian forces in the form of the Wagner Group to Belarus, and the head of the Wagner Group going there, those are all very negative signals for us which we want to raise strongly with our allies,” he told reporters.

Lukashenko says Belarus ready to accommodate Wagner mercenaries on abandoned base - BELTA

Tuesday 27 June 2023 16:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Belarus is not building any camps for Russia’s mercenary Wagner group, but will accommodate them if they want, the Belarusian state news agency BELTA quoted President Alexander Lukashenko as saying on Tuesday.

“We offered them one of the abandoned military bases. Please - we have a fence, we have everything - put up your tents,” Lukashenko said.

Under a deal brokered by Lukashenko late on Saturday that ended a mutiny by the Wagner fighters, they were allowed either to join Russia’s regular armed forces, move with their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin into exile in Belarus, or simply return to their families.

Lukashenko was also quoted as saying there were no plans to open any Wagner recruitment centres in Belarus.

Ukraine reprimands Kyiv mayor Klitschko after bomb shelter audit

Tuesday 27 June 2023 16:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine‘s government reprimanded Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko on Tuesday after criticism of city officials over the state of bomb shelters following the deaths of three people locked out on the street during a Russian air raid.

The government said it had dismissed the heads of two districts under the Kyiv military administration, and two acting heads of districts.

It was not immediately clear whether Klitschko, a former boxer, would face any further action.

Uncertainty about his political future grew after President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised city officials over the 1 June incident, in which two women and a girl were killed by falling debris after rushing to a Kyiv shelter and finding it shut.

Zelensky ordered an audit of all bomb shelters after the three deaths and said personnel changes would be made. The audit found only 15% of Kyiv’s 4,655 bomb shelters were suitable and only 44% were freely accessible.

Prigozhin to be investigated after being paid $2 billion in a year - Putin

Tuesday 27 June 2023 15:44 , Eleanor Noyce

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the finances of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s catering firm would be investigated after his mutiny, saying Wagner and its founder had received almost $2 billion from Russia in the past year.

Putin initially vowed to crush the mutiny, comparing it to the wartime turmoil that ushered in the revolutions of 1917 and then a civil war, but hours later a deal was clinched to allow Prigozhin and some of his fighters to go to Belarus.

Speaking to soldiers from the Russian army at a meeting in the Kremlin, Putin said he had always respected Wagner’s fighters, but that the fact was the group had been “fully financed” from the state budget.

He said it had received 86 billion roubles ($1 billion) from the defence ministry between May 2022 and May 2023.

In addition, Prigozhin’s Concord catering company made 80 billion roubles from state contracts to supply food to the Russian army, Putin said.

“I do hope that, as part of this work, no one stole anything, or, let’s say, stole less, but we will, of course, investigate all of this.”

Prigozhin, whom Putin did not mention by name, could not be reached for immediate comment on Putin‘s remarks.

He said earlier this year that he had always financed Wagner but had looked for additional financing after the war began in Ukraine.

He said on Monday that he had not been trying to overthrow the Russian state and that he remained a patriot who was trying to settle scores with the defence ministry.

Putin’s two-faced tirades over the Wagner mutiny could still be his undoing

Tuesday 27 June 2023 15:05 , Matt Mathers

Claiming treachery one minute, then praising Wagner’s role in Ukraine the next, may have allowed the Russian leader to steer out of an immediate storm, writes Mary Dejevsky. But such mixed messages expose cracks in his authority that will be hard to repair.

Read Mary’s full comment piece here:

Opinion: Putin’s two-faced tirades over the Wagner mutiny could still be his undoing

Exiled warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin sends defiant message in Russia’s game of thrones

Tuesday 27 June 2023 13:40 , Matt Mathers

His advance on Moscow has been likened by some to Mussolini’s march on Rome – but can the mercenary contninue to escape Putin’s wrath, asks Kim Sengupta.

Read Kim’s full analysis here:

Exiled warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin sends defiant message in Russia’s game of thrones

Putin will cling on to power until people inside the Kremlin are up for the fight

Tuesday 27 June 2023 13:20 , Matt Mathers

Prigozhin’s march on Moscow will have frightened Putin – but the Russian leader survived because no other senior figures joined the call for change, writes historian Peter Frankopan.

Read Peter’s full piece here:

What the coup that never was tells us about Putin’s grip on power | Peter Frankopan

Pope Francis’ peace envoy to visit Moscow this week

Tuesday 27 June 2023 12:57 , Matt Mathers

An Italian cardinal tasked by Pope Francis with trying to help end the war in Ukraine will visit Moscow this week as a follow up to his trip to Kyiv, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi Cardinal will be in the Russian capital on Wednesday and Thursday, a statement said.

“The main purpose of the initiative is to encourage humanitarian gestures, which can contribute to facilitating a solution to the current tragic situation and find ways to achieve a just peace,” the statement said.

It was not clear who Zuppi would meet in Moscow. He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and religious leaders in Kyiv on June 6.

If Zuppi, 67, meets Russian President Vladimir Putin, he would be one of the first foreigners to do so since an aborted mutiny against the Russian military over the weekend.

A Vatican source said Zuppi’s trip had been at risk of being called off because of the attempted mutiny and the confusion surrounding it.

Zuppi told reporters last week that he would consult with the pope before leaving for Moscow. Speaking of his dual visits to the two capitals, he said it was “a pattern that needs to be woven for the resolution of the conflict”.

Russia strikes Ukrainian city on anniversary of deadly attack

Tuesday 27 June 2023 12:29 , Matt Mathers

Russia hit a cluster of buildings in a missile strike on Kremenchuk in central Ukraine on Tuesday, the first anniversary of a deadly attack on a shopping mall in the city, Ukrainian officials said.

Dmytro Lunin, governor of the Poltava region that includes Kremenchuk, said what he described as a dacha - or cottage - cooperative had been struck, but reported no casualties.

Ukrainian officials said at the time that at least 18 people were killed at the Amstor shopping mall during a Russian missile strike on Kremenchuk on June 27, 2022. Later reports put the toll at least 20.

"The enemy attacked Poltava region. Just like a year ago on this day, with X-22 missiles," Lunin wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia did not immediately comment on the attack. It has regularly carried out air strikes since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

File photo of Kremenchuk:

Putin finally admits how close Russia came to civil war after Wagner mutiny

Tuesday 27 June 2023 12:10 , Matt Mathers

Vladimir Putin has finally admitted how close Russia came to civil war during last weekend’s mutiny.

He told some 2,500 members of Russia’s security forces, National Guard and military units on Tuesday that the people and the armed forces had stood together in opposition to rebel mercenaries in Saturday’s aborted mutiny.

In an appearance on a square inside the Kremlin that looked designed to send a message that he remained firmly in control, Putin said: “You have defended the constitutional order, the lives, security and freedom of our citizens.

“You have saved our Motherland from upheaval. In fact, you have stopped a civil war,” Putin said.

Watch: Plane 'carrying Wagner boss Prigozhin' lands in Belarus

Tuesday 27 June 2023 11:56 , Matt Mathers

Data from a flight tracking website shows a Russian-registered Embraer Legacy 600 jet, which is linked to Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin , flew to Belarus from Russia on Tuesday (June 27), Holly Patrick reports:

Watch: Plane ‘carrying Wagner boss’ lands in Belarus after group’s armed rebellion

Charges against Prigozhin and others dropped

Tuesday 27 June 2023 10:50 , Matt Mathers

Russia’s chief mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin and others involved in the weekend mutiny will not face charges, officials have said.

The Federal Security Service, or FSB, said its investigation had concluded that those involved in the mutiny “ceased activities directed at committing the crime.”

The charge of mounting an armed mutiny carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison.

Prigozhin escaping prosecution poses a stark contrast to how the Kremlin has been treating those staging anti-government protests.

‘Living hell'

Tuesday 27 June 2023 10:35 , Matt Mathers

Eerie drone footage reveals the scale of destruction in Bakhmut - the scene of some of the most intense battles since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

“Even the fiercest battles of WWII pale in comparison with the living hell that is today’s #Bakhmut,” Ukraine’s defence ministry said in a caption accompanying the clip.

“This is Ukraine in the 21st century. This is our daily reality.”

Lukashenko claims he played role in ending Russian mutiny

Tuesday 27 June 2023 10:25 , Matt Mathers

Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko has claimed he played a role in ending the mutiny in Russia over the weekend.

It comes following reports that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner chief mercenary who led the revolt, landed in Belarus earlier this morning on a private jet.

“Given the role of Belarus in resolving this situation, I must say a few words here about what happened and explain our position and the decisions taken,” Mr Lukashenko said, referring to the deal.

He did not give many details of what role he played.

Russia has detained hundreds of civilians since Ukraine war began: UN

Tuesday 27 June 2023 10:08 , Matt Mathers

A UN monitoring mission in Ukraine said on Tuesday that Russia has detained more than 800 civilians since the conflict began last February, of whom 77 were executed.

The report showed that Ukraine had also violated international law by arbitrarily detaining civilians but on a considerably smaller scale.

"(The UN rights office) identified patterns of conduct which have resulted in arbitrary detention, as well as further human rights violations including torture, ill treatment and enforced disappearances," the report said, adding that the detentions by Russia had taken place in both Ukraine and Russia.

"While such conduct was found in relation to both parties to the conflict, there was greater prevalence of conduct attributed to forces of the Russian Federation."

UK should begin compiling lists of Britons in Russia, says senior Tory

Tuesday 27 June 2023 09:41 , Matt Mathers

Alicia Kearns, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, called on the Foreign Office to start compiling lists of British citizens in Russia in case they need to be evacuated, Adam Forrest reports.

Official travel advice to UK citizens continues to be to leave Russia.

Asked about British citizens inside the country on Monday, foreign secretary James Cleverly said: “We of course look at scenario planning to make sure we are able to respond to whatever happens.”

He added: “But we don’t force British nationals to register with the embassy so therefore it is not possible for us to give accurate figures.”

Ukraine forces ‘advance in all directions'

Tuesday 27 June 2023 09:27 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine forces “advanced in all directions” on Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky said in his latest overnight address.

The Ukraine president made the comments following a meeting with his generals

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on Monday that Ukrainian forces had “advanced in all directions” following a meeting with his generals.

“Today – the front. Donetsk region, Zaporizhzhia. Our warriors, our frontline positions, areas of active operations at the front,” he said.

“Today, our warriors have advanced in all directions, and this is a happy day. I wished the guys more days like this.”

‘Prigozhin jet’ lands in Belarus

Tuesday 27 June 2023 09:07 , Matt Mathers

A jet linked to Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has landed in Belarus.

A Russian-registered Embraer Legacy 600 jet - linked to Prigozhin in US sanctions documents - flew to Belarus from Russia on Tuesday.

There was, however, no immediate indication of who was on board.

Reuters reports Flightradar24 showed the business jet flew to Belarus early on Tuesday.

Russian ships enter Philippine Sea - Interfax

Tuesday 27 June 2023 08:29 , Matt Mathers

A detachment of ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet entered the southern parts of the Philippine Sea to perform tasks as part of a long-range sea passage, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday.

Citing the press service of the Pacific Fleet, Interfax reported that the crews would conduct manoeuvres “with a demonstration of the naval presence” in the Asia-Pacific Region and “as part of strengthening partnerships.”

There was no further detail on how many ships were involved.

Russia has been boosting defences in its vast far-eastern regions bordering the Asia-Pacific, accusing the U.S. of expanding its presence there and raising security concerns in Japan and across the region.

Russia conducts tactical fighter jet drills over Baltic Sea

Tuesday 27 June 2023 07:50 , Matt Mathers

Russia’s defence ministry said early on Tuesday that it was conducting tactical fighter jet exercises over the Baltic Sea with the main goal of testing readiness to perform combat and special tasks operations.

"The crews of the Su-27 (fighter jets) of the Baltic Fleet fired from airborne weapons at cruise missiles and mock enemy aircraft," the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.

"The main goal of the exercise is to test the readiness of the flight crew to perform combat and special tasks as intended."

The ministry said that in addition to improving skills, the fighter jets crews are on "round-the-clock combat duty" guarding the air space of Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.

Labour to press government on Russian sanctions

Tuesday 27 June 2023 07:32 , Matt Mathers

An early-day motion in the UK parliament will urge the government to bring forward legislation requiring ministers to repurpose sanctioned Russian assets in the next 90 days.

Labour is bringing forward the motion. The money recovered from the assets would be used to help rebuild Ukraine once the war has ended.

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: “The UK has been united in its support of Ukraine and last week provided leadership by hosting the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference in London.

“The next stage of our support must be to put in place the laws needed to seize Russian state assets to pay for Ukraine’s recovery.”

Ukraine air forces make gains near Donetsk

Tuesday 27 June 2023 07:20 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s airborne forces have made small advances east from the village of Krasnohorivka, near Donetsk, Britain’s Ministro of Defence has said.

The MoD said it was the first time since Russia’s invasion in February 2022 that Kyiv’s forces have “highly likely” captured recaptured an area of territory occupied by the Kremlin since 2014.

“Recent multiple concurrent Ukrainian assaults throughout the Donbas have likely overstretched Donetsk People’s Republic and Chechen forces operating in this area,” the MoD added.

Ukraine ‘likely recaptures area held by Russia since 2014', says UK MoD

Tuesday 27 June 2023 07:05 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine has marked a rare first instance in the continuing war by retaking a territory controlled by Russia since 2014, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

“Ukrainian Airborne forces have made small advances east from the village of Krasnohorivka, near Donetsk city, which sits on the old Line of Control,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

It claimed that this is one of the first instances since Russia’s February 2022 invasion that Ukrainian forces have “highly likely recaptured an area of territory occupied by Russia since 2014”.

“Recent multiple concurrent Ukrainian assaults throughout the Donbas have likely overstretched Donetsk People’s Republic and Chechen forces operating in this area,” the ministry said.

Kim Sengupta | How a nuclear superpower was brought to the edge of civil war

Tuesday 27 June 2023 07:02 , Andy Gregory

The new Russian Revolution failed to take place. Vladimir Putin may be much weakened, but he has not been deposed. Yevgeny Prigozhin is not in Moscow, but on his way to Minsk. There are no signs, as yet, of the Kremlin’s military lines in Ukraine crumbling.

As the dust churned up by tanks and armoured cars begins to settle, inevitable questions have arisen about what exactly happened in the astonishing and tempestuous 36 hours in which a country with a vast nuclear stockpile came so close to civil war.

It was not entirely unexpected by some. US and Western intelligence agencies, it has emerged, had begun to learn some days ago that the Wagner group, Prigozhin’s mercenary army, would soon be on the move. Not against Ukrainians, but back into Russia and ready for armed confrontation with Russian forces.

The information, according to Western security officials, as well as one from a Baltic state, had been gleaned from satellite imagery of heavy weaponry being moved, troop redeployments, and interception of communication which has proved so valuable in predicting Putin’s invasion before it began.

Our world affairs editor Kim Sengupta has more on Saturday’s dramatic events in this longer read:

36 hours of chaos that left Putin weakened: The anatomy of Wagner’s failed mutiny

US cautious on Russian rebellion to avoid creating an opening for Putin

Tuesday 27 June 2023 06:56 , Arpan Rai

On the surface, the turmoil in Russia would seem like something for the US to celebrate: a powerful mercenary group engaging in a short-lived clash with Russia’s military at the very moment that Ukraine is trying to gain momentum in a critical counteroffensive.

But the public response by Washington has been decidedly cautious. Officials say the US had no role in the conflict, insist this was an internal matter for Russia and decline to comment on whether it could affect the war in Ukraine.

The reason: to avoid creating an opening for Russian President Vladimir Putin to seize on the rhetoric of American officials and rally Russians by blaming his Western adversaries.

Read more here:

US cautious on Russian rebellion to avoid creating an opening for Putin

Countries ‘sitting on the fence’ over Ukraine invasion should be persuaded to get off, claims British peer

Tuesday 27 June 2023 06:00 , Andy Gregory

Countries that “sat on the fence” at the time of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should now be persuaded to come off it, Britain’s former national security adviser Lord Ricketts has said.

Speaking in the House of Lords, the ex-ambassador told peers: “The spectacle we saw last weekend must surely have shown the whole world that Putin is a weak and indecisive leader, and the head of a corrupt and chaotic country.

“I agree with the Government that the leadership of Russia is something for the Russian people. Our business is to ensure that Ukraine grows in confidence and strength in the months ahead.

“In that context, will the minister reassure us that ambassadors of all those non-aligned states, which sat on the fence at the time of the invasion of Ukraine, can now be persuaded that this would be a very good time to come off that fence, to give their support to Ukraine with the aim of shortening the war?”

Responding, foreign minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said: “We have been working diplomatically through the United Nations and directly and bilaterally with key countries particularly across south Asia, the Middle East and north Africa, and are we seeing results? Yes, of course.”

He highlighted the support of the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, adding: “I am not saying that there is not more work to be done, but clearly the diplomatic effort along with all the other areas we are working on is showing results.”

Russia conducts tactical fighter jet drills over Baltic Sea

Tuesday 27 June 2023 05:23 , Arpan Rai

Russia conducted tactical fighter jet exercises over the Baltic Sea with the main goal of testing readiness to perform combat and special tasks operations, its defence ministry announced this morning.

“The crews of the Su-27 (fighter jets) of the Baltic Fleet fired from airborne weapons at cruise missiles and mock enemy aircraft,” the ministry said on Telegram.

“The main goal of the exercise is to test the readiness of the flight crew to perform combat and special tasks as intended.”

The ministry said that in addition to improving skills, the fighter jets crews are on “round-the-clock combat duty” guarding the air space of Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.

Zelensky cheers troops after ‘happy day’ on battlefield

Tuesday 27 June 2023 05:02 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky cheered his troops last night after marking a successful day in the battlefield where he claimed that the Ukraine’s soldiers progressed in all directions.

“Today – the front. Donetsk region, Zaporizhzhia. Our warriors, our frontline positions, areas of active operations at the front. Today, our warriors have advanced in all directions, and this is a happy day. I wished the guys more days like this,” he said in his nightly address.

Monday was the first day of battlefield operations after a chaotic mutiny in Russia which forced Vladimir Putin to keep his attention on mercenary fighters of Wagner group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin marching towards the Kremlin.

While it was unclear what the fissures opened by the 24-hour rebellion would mean for the war in Ukraine, where Western officials say Russia’s troops suffer low morale, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that Ukraine had “gained impetus” in its push around Bakhmut.

Ukrainian troops marked progress north and south of the town, it said, adding that the forces claimed to have retaken Rivnopil, a village in southeast Ukraine that has seen heavy fighting.

Wagner’s forces were key to Russia’s only land victory in months in Bakhmut.

Watch: Putin appeals to Russian public after Wagner mutiny

Tuesday 27 June 2023 04:59 , Andy Gregory

Biden says Putin can’t blame mutiny on West and Nato: 'We had nothing to do with it'

Tuesday 27 June 2023 04:44 , Arpan Rai

President Joe Biden has stated that the US and Nato were not involved in the brief mutiny in Russia that took place over the weekend.

Speaking at the White House, Mr Biden said he was cautious about speaking publicly because he wanted to give “Putin no excuse to blame this on the West and blame this on Nato.”

“We made clear that we were not involved, we had nothing to do with it,” he said.

The president spoke briefly about the events of the past 72 hours in Russia, where Wagner Group mercenaries seized a major hub of Russia’s defence sector before turning their columns towards the nation’s capital.

Mr Biden told reporters that he had convened the US’s European allies to discuss the political fallout from the mess, and “to make sure that we’re all on the same page”.

Western officials have been muted in their public comments on the mutiny as they carefully watched the series of events in the aborted military coup unfold.

Biden says steps taken to make sure Putin couldn’t blame Wagner coup on US

Missing since Saturday night, Wagner chief’s whereabouts remain unclear

Tuesday 27 June 2023 04:20 , Arpan Rai

Last seen on Saturday night smiling and high-fiving bystanders from the back of an SUV, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said his fighters had halted their campaign to avert bloodshed.

On Saturday, Mr Prigozhin said he was leaving for Belarus under a deal brokered by its president Alexander Lukashenko. In yesterday’s remarks he said Mr Lukashenko had offered to let Wagner operate under a legal framework, but he did not elaborate further.

Last night, he released an 11-minute audio clip, stating that he and his fighters “went as a demonstration of protest, not to overthrow the government of the country”.

But as of today, it remains unclear where has he taken shelter.

The White House said it could not confirm whether the Wagner chief was in Belarus.

Russia’s three main news agencies reported that a criminal case against Mr Prigozhin had not been closed, an apparent reversal of an offer of immunity publicised as part of the deal that persuaded him to stand down.

Senior Russian lawmaker seeks 'professional army' of millions without mercenaries

Tuesday 27 June 2023 04:04 , Arpan Rai

Russia needs a contract army of at least seven million military and civilian personnel, on top of the current conscript army, a senior lawmaker in Moscow said.

Leonid Slutsky, a senior Russian lawmaker who has been an active member in a number of negotiations related to Moscow’s campaign in Ukraine, has said the seven-million strong army is needed to not require mercenary groups for country’s protection.

“The country does not need any PMCs (private military companies) and their likes,” Mr Slutsky, the head of the Liberal Democratic Party, said on Telegram. “There are problems in the regular army, but PMCs cannot solve them.”

Russia is reeling from a brief but rare military coup over the weekend when its powerful mercenary group Wagner’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin led a failed mutiny by taking control of the military command steering Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Wagner leader and his fighters started a march on Moscow and claimed to come within 200km of the Kremlin before aborting the military coup.

Zelensky makes trip to frontline and hands out awards, Kyiv says

Tuesday 27 June 2023 04:01 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has visited two areas of the frontline against Russian troops in eastern and southern Ukraine, handing out awards and posing with troops in video footage posted online.

The president’s office posted three videos and said Mr Zelenskiy visited the two areas on Monday, in eastern Donetsk and in what was described as the Berdiansk sector in the south.

The first of the three videos showed the president handing out awards at an undisclosed indoor location and poring over maps with Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine’s ground forces.

“I have the honour to be here today, talk to the commander and first of all thank you, thank you for protecting our country, sovereignty, our families, children, Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said.

“Everyone in the country understands, so you know, those who are not on the frontline, everyone understands perfectly that you are doing the most difficult work today and everyone knows that eastern direction is very difficult.”

Irish politicians condemn attack on Ukrainian actor in Dublin

Tuesday 27 June 2023 03:02 , Andy Gregory

Ireland’s national theatre and culture minister have condemned an attack on a Ukrainian actor in Dublin at the weekend.

Actor Oleksandr Hrekov had travelled to Dublin to perform in a Kyiv theatre company’s production of Brian Friel’s Translations. After the final performance on Saturday, he was attacked near the Abbey in what has been called an “unprovoked, random act of mindless violence”.

A spokesperson for the Abbey Theatre said that he required stitches and hospital treatment, but is “recovering well”.

Culture minister Catherine Martin has condemned the “cowardly attack”, along with other Irish politicians. She said that the production of Translations was “an expression of the solidarity of the Irish people with the people of Ukraine”.

Putin and UAE leaders held phone call on mutiny, claims Kremlin

Tuesday 27 June 2023 02:01 , Andy Gregory

The leaders of Russia and the United Arab Emirates held a phone call about Saturday’s aborted mutiny, the Kremlin has claimed.

According to the Kremlin, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan was interested in hearing an assessment of the situation in Russia in connection with the Wagner group mutiny.

“Having received comprehensive information, the Emirati leader declared full support for the actions of the Russian leadership,” the statement claimed.

Russian turmoil could help build support for Ukraine peace talks, officials say

Tuesday 27 June 2023 00:58 , Andy Gregory

The turmoil in Russia could persuade more countries to get on board with Ukraine’s attempts to build broad international support for a blueprint on peace talks, Denmark’s foreign minister has suggested.

“It is my interpretation that Putin is weakened, to some extent at least. And hopefully that could also have an impact on the rest of the world’s willingness to discuss a post-war situation in Ukraine,” Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed that a summit could take place in July, but after talks last weekend officials said there was a lot of work still to be done and a date later in the year was most likely, with Copenhagen suggested as a venue, diplomats told Reuters.

“It’s not necessarily bad that the Ukrainians have a bit of time to also tease out perhaps a few more gains on the battlefield, profit perhaps from some of the instability we’ve seen this weekend,” another senior EU official told the news agency.

Former Kremlin ‘puppet master’ calls for end to Russian mercenary groups

Monday 26 June 2023 23:59 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin’s former chief strategist has called for an end to mercenary groups in Russia after Wagner’s shortlived mutiny threatened Moscow, calling private armies “completely inconsistent” with Russian military culture.

Vladislav Surkov, known as the Kremlin “puppet master” by friends and foes alike before leaving his post in 2020, said “private military companies” were an idea imported from the US, created to engage in proxy wars, adding: “How can a military unit be private in our understanding?

“This is completely inconsistent with Russian political, managerial and military culture,” Mr Surkov said in an interview published by his associate Alexei Chesnakov, adding that such groups risked turning Russia into “some kind of Eurasian tribal zone” while dividing the command of the armed forces.

“Why do we need them today when we are openly participating in the battle for Ukraine? This is not a proxy war,” Surkov said. “The army must be strengthened not only with weapons, but also with unity of command.”

Casting Prigozhin as an “oligarch”, he detailed the criminal past of the mercenary, who aged 20 was sentenced to 13 years in jail for robbery and assault in 1981, including choking a woman until she lost consciousness, according to court documents from the time. “That’s all you need to know about Prigozhin,” he added.

Ukraine ‘peace summit’ talks make progress but long way to go, say officials

Monday 26 June 2023 23:31 , Reuters

Ukraine’s work with allies to build broad international support for a peace blueprint has made progress but any summit to endorse a document is at least months away, officials have said.

Senior officials from Ukraine, G7 countries, the European Union and nations such as Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey met on Saturday in Denmark for talks on the concept, even as an abortive mutiny unfolded in Russia.

China had been invited to the talks but did not attend – highlighting the challenge faced by Ukraine and its allies in building a truly global, heavyweight coalition.

The Copenhagen meeting aimed to advance a proposal by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for a “peace summit” to endorse principles that would underpin any settlement to end the war that started with Russia’s invasion 16 months ago.

Ukrainian and Western officials have said that the summit would not involve Russia. Instead, they aim to rally a broad coalition behind the Kyiv government – including major countries that have decided not to give Ukraine military aid or impose sanctions on Russia – to increase diplomatic pressure on Moscow.

Situation in Russia remains dynamic after aborted mutiny, says US State Department

Monday 26 June 2023 22:58 , Andy Gregory

The situation in Russia remains dynamic after the aborted Wagner mutiny, the US State Department has said, adding that it does not have any assessment about the whereabouts of the boss of mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.

“It is a certainly a new thing to see President Putin’s leadership directly challenged. It is a new thing to see Yevgeny Prigozhin directly questioning the rationale for this war and calling out that the war has been conducted essentially based on a lie,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.

The events over the weekend reinforce Washington’s concerns about the instability Wagner brings when it enters any country, Mr Miller said.

He added that Washington does not know what will happen to Wagner in Ukraine or in Africa, but to the extent that the group or a successor organisation continues to operate in Africa, Ukraine or elsewhere, the United States will take actions to hold them accountable.

Putin met Shoigu and security chiefs tonight, Kremlin says

Monday 26 June 2023 22:24 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin was meeting the head of Russia’s main domestic security service on Monday evening, defence secretary Sergei Shoigu and other ministers, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was reported as saying by state-backed news agency Interfax.

The participants included Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov, head of the Kremlin administration Anton Vaino, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, director of the FSB security service Alexander Bortnikov, head of the National Guard Viktor Zolotov, head of the Federal Protection Service Dmitry Kochnev, and the head of the federal Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, Interfax said.

Putin insists Prigozhin’s armed rebellion ‘would have been suppressed'

Monday 26 June 2023 21:55 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin has insisted that Yegnevy Prigozhin’s “armed rebellion would have been supressed” if he had continued rather than aborted Wagner’s mutiny as some mercenaries were reportedly just 125 miles from Moscow.

In his address to the Russian people, the president claimed: “I emphasise that from the very beginning of the events, all the necessary decisions were immediately taken to neutralise the threat that had arisen, to protect the constitutional order, the life and security of our citizens.

“An armed rebellion would have been suppressed in any case. The organisers of the rebellion, despite the loss of adequacy, could not fail to understand this. They understood everything, including that they went to criminal acts, to split and weaken the country, which is now confronting a colossal external threat, unprecedented external pressure.”

Putin claims West wanted Russia to ‘choke in bloody civil strife'

Monday 26 June 2023 21:26 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin has claimed that the West “rubbed their hands” at the prospect that Russian society would “split” and “choke in bloody civil strife”, as the weakened president stopped short of claiming Western involvement in Yevgeny Prigozhin’s aborted coup.

In his address to the Russian people, he appeared to hit out at Mr Prigozhin as he said: “The organisers of the rebellion, betraying their country, their people, betrayed those who were drawn into the crime. They lied to them, pushed them to death, under fire, to shoot at their own.

Claiming that “it was precisely this outcome – fratricide – that Russia’s enemies wanted”, including Ukraine and its “Western patrons, and all sorts of national traitors”, he continued: “They wanted Russian soldiers to kill each other, so that military personnel and civilians would die, so that in the end Russia would lose, and our society would split, choke in bloody civil strife.

“They rubbed their hands, dreaming of taking revenge for their failures at the front and during the so-called counteroffensive, but they miscalculated.”

Putin insists Wagner fighters can go to Belarus or ‘return to families'

Monday 26 June 2023 20:57 , Andy Gregory

In his late-night address, Vladimir Putin again insisted that Wagner mercenaries would be allowed to go to Belarus if they wish, take a contract with the Russian defence ministry or “return to [their] family and friends”.

The Russian president told the nation: “I thank those soldiers and commanders of the Wagner group who made the only right decision – they did not go to fratricidal bloodshed, they stopped at the last line.

“Today you have the opportunity to continue serving Russia by entering into a contract with the Ministry of Defense or other law enforcement agencies, or to return to your family and friends. Whoever wants to can go to Belarus. The promise I made will be fulfilled. I repeat, the choice is yours, but I am sure it will be the choice of Russian soldiers who have realized their tragic mistake.

Also thanking Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko “for his efforts and contribution to the peaceful resolution of the situation”, Mr Putin said: “But I repeat, it was the patriotic spirit of the citizens, the consolidation of the entire Russian society that played a decisive role these days.

“This support allowed us to overcome the most difficult trials for our Motherland together.”

Desperate Putin appeals to Russian public after Wagner mutiny

Monday 26 June 2023 20:35 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin has issued a desperate new public address in the wake of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s aborted mutiny, after the Kremlin touted several “major” announcements.

While these appear to have largely failed to materialise, the Russian president has finally addressed the armed rebellion for the first time since Saturday.

Mr Putin claimed mutiny was “resolutely rejected by society”, and that he directly ordered that “steps were taken to avoid a lot of bloodshed”, as he praised Russian pilots apparently shot down by Wagner mercenaries for having “saved Russia from tragic devastating consequences”.

“I thank all our military personnel, law enforcement officers, special services who stood in the way of the rebels, remained faithful to their duty, oath and their people,” the Russian president said.

Just two days after Wagner’s troops marched on Moscow, he added: “Today I once again appeal to all citizens of Russia. Thank you for your endurance, solidarity and patriotism. This civic solidarity has shown that any blackmail, any attempt to create internal turmoil is doomed to failure.

“I repeat, the highest consolidation of society, executive and legislative power at all levels was shown.”

US had ‘good direct communications’ with Russia over weekend, says White House

Monday 26 June 2023 20:05 , Andy Gregory

The White House has said that Washington had “good direct communications” with Russia over the weekend, my colleague John Bowden reports from DC.

“We had good direct communications with the Russians over the course of the weekend. It’s our expectation that that would be able to continue going forward,” said national security council spokesperson John Kirby.

Full report: Biden says steps taken to make sure Putin couldn’t blame Wagner coup on US

Monday 26 June 2023 19:46 , Andy Gregory

My colleague John Bowden reports from Washington DC on Joe Biden’s remarks to reporters about Yevgeny Prigozhin’s shortlived mutiny:

Biden says steps taken to make sure Putin couldn’t blame Wagner coup on US

Mutiny has exposed Moscow’s weakness, says Moldova’s PM

Monday 26 June 2023 19:22 , Andy Gregory

Moldova’s prime minister has suggested that the aborted mutiny in Russia has exposed Moscow’s weakness, as he claimed the Kremlin’s interference in his own country was getting less effective over time.

“What we have seen in recent days is a clear indication of the weakness of the Russian leadership and the Russian management of the army,” Dorin Recean told Reuters.

“Russia is much weaker than people perceived it to be,” the premier added, speaking in Zurich ahead of a meeting in neighbouring Liechtenstein where he is due to sign a free trade agreement.

Mr Recean said Moldova continued to be targeted by Moscow, although Russia’s alleged campaigns of interference were becoming less effective. “We don’t feel that Russia is withdrawing or lessening the intensity. It’s just that our institutions have improved their capabilities to fight this hybrid war of Russia.”

In the longer term, the resolution of the dispute over Transdniestria most likely depended on the end of the conflict in Ukraine, he added.

Hundreds of Russian soldiers have been stationed in the sliver of land running along Moldova’s eastern border with Ukraine since a war between pro-Russian separatists and Moldovan government forces after the 1991 Soviet break-up.

“First of all Moldova will solve this Transdniestria issue peacefully,” Recean said. “This is fundamental. The first thing is to demilitarise the region where Russian troops are stationed illegally. This will most likely happen when the Russian are pushed out of Ukraine.”

Ukraine claims to recapture ninth village since counteroffensive began

Monday 26 June 2023 18:58 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar claims Kyiv’s forces have regained control of the devastated southeastern village of Rivnopil, in what would mark the ninth town to be recaptured since its counteroffensive began his month.

Ms Maliar did not say when Ukrainian troops entered Rivnopil, which lies just west of a cluster of villages recaptured by Kyiv in offensive operations that she said had liberated 50 square miles in the south.

A Ukrainian soldier said in a short and unverified video posted by Ukraine’s military that the village was retaken on Sunday and that Russian soldiers were “fleeing”. The video showed him and other soldiers in front of a devastated building with a Ukrainian flag flying from a post.

Valeryi Shershen, spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern military sector, told broadcasters there were no civilians in the village and that it had been almost totally destroyed and mined on all sides.

The military group had advanced by nearly a mile in the direction of the city of Melitopol, in the Zaporizhzhia region, he claimed.

US and Nato had no involvement in Wagner mutiny, says Joe Biden

Monday 26 June 2023 18:36 , Andy Gregory

The United States and Nato had no involvement in Wagner’s short-lived mutiny, US president Joe Biden has said.

Saying that he had held a video call with allies over the weekend, who were working together to ensure they give Vladimir Putin “no excuse to blame this on the west”, he added: “We made clear that we were not involved. We had nothing to do with it ... This was part of a struggle within Russian system.”

The US president said it was “too early” to assess the impact of the aborted mutiny on the war in Ukraine, but said he intended to speak with counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky about the situation later on Monday or early on Tuesday.

Britain must ‘have a plan in case Russia implodes’, says Liz Truss

Monday 26 June 2023 18:14 , Andy Gregory

The UK and its allies need to make sure “we have a plan in the case of the implosion of Russia”, Britain’s brief former prime minister Liz Truss has said.

Speaking in the Commons, the Tory MP and erstwhile foreign secretary said: “It’s clear that Putin has been significantly weakened in Russia. We must not use this time to let up in our support for Ukraine.

“So, first of all, we need to make sure the Ukrainian membership of Nato is fast-tracked at the Vilnius Nato summit. Secondly, we need to make sure there is no talk of deals or concessions or lifting of sanctions on Russia in any circumstances until the war criminals are held to account.

“Finally, we and our allies, including the Ukrainians, including the Poles, including the Baltic states, need to make sure that we have a plan in the case of the implosion of Russia.”

Prigozhin has ‘driven coach and horses’ through Putin’s case for war, Cleverly claims

Monday 26 June 2023 17:55 , Andy Gregory

The Wagner mutiny in Russia was an “unprecedented” attack on Vladimir Putin’s authority and exposed “cracks” in domestic support for the war in Ukraine, the UK’s foreign secretary has told MPs.

Giving an urgent statement to the Commons, James Cleverly claimed the “mask slipped” when mercernary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin “drove a coach and horses” through the Russian president’s case for the invasion during their bitter row.

The chaos showed that Ukraine, rather than Russia, has the “strategic patience” to win the war, Mr Cleverly claimed. “The Russian government’s lies have been exposed by one of President Putin’s own henchmen,” he said.

“Now, the full story of this weekend’s events and the long-term effects will take some time to become clear and it is not helpful to speculate. But Prigozhin’s rebellion is an unprecedented challenge to President Putin’s authority and it is clear that cracks are emerging in the Russian support for the war.”

“He drove a coach and horses through President Putin’s case for war,” the foreign secretary added. “He has made it clear that this war of aggression was driven by the egos of President Putin and the immediate cohort around him.

“They wanted to recreate an imperial Russia as they had in the past and the lives of thousands of Ukrainians and others have been lost in pursuit of one man’s ego.”

Who is Sergei Shoigu? Military commander at centre of Russia Wagner crisis

Monday 26 June 2023 17:37 , Andy Gregory

Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu has visited troops and appeared on television for the first time since the Wagner group stood down their mutinous challenge against his leadership, but his whereabouts remains unclear.

The 68-year-old is a career politician and long-time ally of Vladimir Putin having served in governments under him. He was appointed minister of defence in 2012 and has held the role ever since despite never having served in uniform.

Another distinction is that Mr Shoigu does not hail from Mr Putin’s own St Petersburg but Chadan, a small town hundreds of kilometres away east of Moscow at the Mongolia border. However, has long been seen not just as a political ally of Mr Putin but one of the Kremlin chief’s few friends within the Russian elite.

The pair have sun-bathed bare-chested together in remote Siberia, shared fishing holidays and played on the same ice hockey team, AFP reports. Since taking the role, Mr Shoigu has helped shape the Russian strategy in the 2014 annexation of Crimea, the conflict in Syria, and is said to be one of the key figures in plotting the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

My colleague William Mata has more details here:

Who is Sergei Shoigu? Military commander at centre of Russia Wagner crisis

Watch: Wagner chief Prigozhin breaks silence after mutiny

Monday 26 June 2023 17:21 , Andy Gregory

Prigozhin admits shooting down Russian aircrafts

Monday 26 June 2023 16:47 , Andy Gregory

Here are more of Yevgeny Prighozin’s first comments since supposedly accepting a deal brokered by Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus.

The Wagner chief insisted that his mercenaries had not spilt a drop of blood on the ground during its northward march, but regretted that his fighters had killed Russian servicemen who he claimed attacked their convoy from helicopters.

He also once more complained about a military order that all volunteer units including Wagner are meant to sign by 1 July placing themselves under the control of Russia’s defence ministry, claiming that fewer than 2 per cent of his soldiers have signed up, adding: “The aim of the march was to avoid the destruction of Wagner.”

He said the way it had been able to seize the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and to send an armed convoy to within 125 miles of Moscow had shown “a master class, as it should have been” during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February.

“We did not have the goal of overthrowing the existing regime and the legally elected government,” he insisted.

Breaking: Wagner leader Prigozhin breaks silence over mutiny

Monday 26 June 2023 16:24 , Andy Gregory

Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has issued his first public statement since the aborted march on Moscow, claiming he had never intended to overthrow Vladimir Putin’s regime, reports Alastair Jamieson.

In his first public comments since Saturday’s dramatic events, he said the one-day mutiny was intended to be a protest at the ineffectual conduct of the war in Ukraine.

Prigozhin spoke in an 11-minute audio message released on the Telegram messaging app.

You can refresh our breaking report here for updates:

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin breaks silence over mutiny with Telegram message

Ben Wallace says Ukraine continues to make ‘gradual but steady tactical progress'

Monday 26 June 2023 16:04 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the Commons: “As part of their summer campaign to reclaim illegally-occupied territory, Ukraine has already recaptured approximately 300 square kilometres - that’s more territory than Russia seized in its whole winter offensive.”

Mr Wallace said Ukraine continues to make “gradual but steady tactical progress”, with major offensive operations in the south and east of the country.

He said Russia has made its own “significant effort to launch an attack” in the Luhansk oblast, adding: “Russia has had some small gains but Ukrainian forces have prevented a breakthrough.

“In Donetsk oblast, Ukraine has gained impetus in its assaults around Bakhmut; in multiple brigade operations Ukrainian forces have made progress on both the north and southern flanks of the town.

“Russia does not appear to have the uncommitted ground forces needed to counter the multiple threats it is now facing from Ukraine, which extend over 200km from Bakhmut to the eastern bank of the Dnipro River.”

Watch in full: Putin’s first public address since apparent Wagner coup

Monday 26 June 2023 15:39 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Vladimir Putin gave his first speech since the Wagner group mutiny on Monday, 26 June, in which he did not address the weekend’s events and instead congratulating young engineers at a forum.

“It is symbolic that the forum is taking place on Tula soil, which has always been famous for its craftsmen, its dynasties of workers, engineers and arms makers,” the Russian leader said.

It comes after the head of the Russian private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, called for armed mutiny on Friday, seizing a military headquarters in a southern Russian city and marching toward Moscow, before turning around on Saturday.

Watch in full: Putin’s first public address since apparent Wagner coup

Russia checking if Western agencies were involved in mutiny

Monday 26 June 2023 15:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian intelligence services are investigating whether Western spy agencies played a role in the aborted mutiny by Wagner mercenary fighters on Saturday, the TASS news agency quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Monday.

In an interview with Russian RT television, Lavrov said U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy had spoken to Russian representatives on Sunday and given “signals” that the United States was not involved in the mutiny, but it hoped that Russia‘s nuclear arsenal would be kept safe, TASS said.

He also quoted Tracy as saying the mutiny was Russia‘s internal affair.

Several Western leaders have said the incident shows that instability is growing in Russia as a result of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send his armed forces into Ukraine early last year.

Asked whether there was any evidence that neither Ukrainian nor Western intelligence services were involved in the mutiny, Lavrov replied:

“I work in a department that does not collect evidence about illegal actions, but we have such structures, and I assure you, they already understand this.”

Doubts over Wagner’s future have raised questions about whether it will continue its operations in African countries such as Mali and the Central African Republic, where its forces have played a big role in long-running internal conflicts.

Since the war in Ukraine undermined Russia‘s ties and trade with the West, the Kremlin has also been underlining its commitment to Africa.

Lavrov told RT that Mali and the CAR both maintained official contacts with Moscow alongside their relations with Wagner, adding: “Several hundred servicemen are working in the CAR as instructors; this work, of course, will be continued”.

Lavrov also said Ukrainian allegations that Russia plans to stage an attack involving a release of radiation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine were “nonsense”, TASS reported.

Who is Sergei Shoigu? Military commander at centre of Russia Wagner crisis

Monday 26 June 2023 14:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sergei Shoigu has visited troops and appeared on television for the first time since the Wagner group stood down their mutinous challenge against Vladimir Putin but his whereabouts remains unclear.

The Russian defence minister was shown flying in a helicopter with a colleague at an unknown location in a state media-released video, in an apparent attempt to show the Russian president’s regime was untouched by Saturday’s attempted coup.

The video appeared to show Mr Shoigu taking a briefing in what appears to be part of an effort to re-establish his prominence following Saturday’s charge against him by the Wagner group, which was aborted at the 11th hour.

Who is Sergei Shoigu? Military commander at centre of Russia Wagner crisis

Germany offers to station 4,000 troops in Lithuania to strengthen Nato’s eastern flank

Monday 26 June 2023 14:43 , Andy Gregory

Germany is willing to send around 4,000 troops to Lithuania on a permanent basis to strengthen Nato’s eastern flank, German defence minister Boris Pistorius has said during a visit to Vilnius.

“Germany is prepared to permanently station a robust brigade in Lithuania,” Mr Pistorius said, adding that infrastructure and facilities will need to be created to accommodate the soldiers and their families.

Berlin pledged last June to have a combat brigade ready to defend Lithuania in the event of an attack, German news agency dpa reported, but have been unable to agree until now on whether they should be permanently or temporarily stationed there.

Mr Pistorius explained the German government’s decision to offer the brigade to Lithuania was not only because of Russia’s war on Ukraine, but also because of Germany’s own history. Until the end of the Cold War, Germany was the country on Nato’s eastern flank, he noted.

“We were the ones who could always rely on our Nato partners to stand by us in an emergency and to stand up and fight with us for our freedom and security in Germany,” he said, adding that now Poland and the Baltic countries are particularly exposed.

“We as the Federal Republic of Germany explicitly acknowledge our responsibility and our obligation as a Nato member state, as the largest economy in Europe, to stand up for the protection of the eastern flank,” Mr Pistorius said.

Nato chief says alliance ‘remains vigilant’ over Russian nuclear movements

Monday 26 June 2023 14:34 , Andy Gregory

Condemning Russia’s plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance is monitoring the situation.

“We don’t see any indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons but Nato remains vigilant,” he said, adding that the alliance’s deterrence was strong enough to keep its people safe in a “more dangerous world”.

Speaking in Lithuania as he attended military exercises there, Mr Stoltenberg assured Kyiv of Nato’s continued support, adding: “If Russia thinks it can intimidate us from supporting Ukraine, it will fail.”

The drills in Lithuania will test the rapid reinforcing of the German-led Nato battlegroup in the country to the size of a brigade, a military unit comprising up to 5,000 troops, a scenario to be enacted in case of heightened tensions or a conflict with Russia.

Mr Stoltenberg described the drills as a clear message that Nato was ready to defend every inch of allied territory.

Wagner mutiny ‘demonstrates the fragility’ of Russian regime, claims Nato chief

Monday 26 June 2023 14:29 , Andy Gregory

Wagner’s shortlived mutiny “demonstrates the fragility” of the Russian regime and the scale of Vladimir Putin’s strategic error in invading Ukraine, Nato’s chief Jens Stoltenberg has claimed.

Speaking to reporters on a visit to Lithuania, Mr Stoltenberg said: “The events over the weekend are an internal Russian matter, and yet another demonstration of the big strategic mistake that President Putin made with his illegal annexation of Crimea and the war against Ukraine.

“Of course, it is a demonstration of weakness ... It demonstrates the fragility the Russian regime but it is not for Nato to intervene in those issues, that’s a Russian matter.”

Watch: Villagers react to Wagner occupation as group calls off march to Moscow

Monday 26 June 2023 14:09 , Andy Gregory

Russian residents have shared how children were running round as Wagner troops reached their village, the northernmost point in their aborted push for Moscow, my colleague Holly Patrick reports.

Krasnoye locals in the Lipetsk region appeared unphased by the arrival of armed men.

“They did not approach the civilians, the kids were running around as always. [Wagner troops are] normal people, probably our children, our brothers,” said Nikolai, a resident.

Russia’s Lavrov dismisses claims of Zaporizhzhia plant attack as ‘nonsense'

Monday 26 June 2023 13:56 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainian claims that Russia plans to blow up the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine are “nonsense”, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has insisted, according to state news agency Tass.

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, claimed to the New Statesman last week that Russian troops had moved vehicles charged with explosives to four of the six power units, and had mined the plant’s cooling pond, without which its nuclear reactors could melt in between 10 hours to 14 days.

“Technical means could be used to speed up the catastrophe,” he said, adding: “The situation has never been as severe as now.”

Mr Budanov insisted he was confident the plan was fully “drafted and approved”, with only the order to proceed currently absent. “Then it can happen in a matter of minutes,” he told the magazine.

Watch: Putin breaks silence on Wagner mutiny with bland statement on young engineers

Monday 26 June 2023 13:45 , Andy Gregory

Here is more information on the bland statement issued by Vladimir Putin as he broke his silence following the mutiny by mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The Russian president made no mention of the recent chaos – despite just hours earlier condemning the mutiny as a “stab in the back” and vowing to crush it – as he said: “Dear friends! I congratulate you on the opening of the International Industrial ‘Engineers of the Future’ Youth Forum.

“It has brought together young engineers, scientists, technologists, students, graduate students and representatives of public organisations from the majority of Russia’s regions and an array of foreign countries.

“It is symbolic that the forum is taking place on Tula [a city south of Moscow] soil, which has always been famous for its craftsmen, its dynasties of workers, engineers and arms makers. The development of Russian industry depends on the quality of its specialists.”

The president is yet to comment on the deal with Wagner apparently brokered by Belarusian autocrat Alexander Lukashenko.

Regime change ‘for Russia to resolve’, says No 10

Monday 26 June 2023 13:41 , Andy Gregory

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

No 10 said it is “too early” to know what fallout there could be from the rebellion by the Wagner group of mercenaries in Russia over the weekend.

Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson said: “It’s too early to say exactly the impact of the weekend’s events will have in Russia. It is purely an internal matter for them and, first and foremost, we want them to behave responsibly and to protect civilians.”

Asked if the UK is opposed to regime change in Moscow, the PM’s spokesperson said: “Issues of regime in Russia are for Russia to resolve first and foremost.”

Ukraine says Wagner’s mutiny proves Putin’s fragility – but this war ends on the battlefield

Monday 26 June 2023 13:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Officials believe any fear of Putin preventing Western states from delivering key weaponry had been smashed – and that it is crucial Ukraine keep receiving support from allies. Bel Trew reports from Kyiv:

The silence is deafening.

On Saturday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian hotdog-seller turned mercenary, was firing off expletive-riddled voice notes and videos every other hour that were being broadcast across the world.

In them, the chief of Wagner Group, a powerful private military company (PMC), blamed the Russian Ministry of Defence for bombing his troops in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. He accused them of lying to his country about the motivations for going to war in Ukraine, and he vowed to get revenge.

Kremlin releases first video statement by Putin since Wagner mutiny

Monday 26 June 2023 12:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday issued via the Kremlin website his first statement since an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group, congratulating participants of an industrial forum.

It was not immediately clear when or where Putin’s statement was recorded.

Putin made a national address to the Russian people on Saturday condemning the mutiny by Wagner mercenaries as a “stab in the back” and vowing to crush it.

He has not commented publicly on the subsequent deal, announced late on Saturday, that appeard to defuse the crisis and avert possible bloodshed by allowing the Wagner fighters to return to base and their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to move to Belarus.

Ukraine retakes southeastern village of Rivnopil - deputy defence minister

Monday 26 June 2023 11:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian forces have liberated the village of Rivnopil from Russian control in the southeast, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday.

Maliar said in an earlier statement that Kyiv’s forces had liberated about 130 square kilometres (50 square miles) in the south since Ukraine began offensive operations several weeks ago.

Ukraine reiterates call for NATO offer of simplified accession for Kyiv

Monday 26 June 2023 11:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine expects to receive a clear invitation for simplified accession to NATO when the military alliance holds a summit next month in Lithuania, a senior official said on Monday.

Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential staff, reiterated Ukraine‘s position on NATO accession in comments published after Russia thwarted a march by mercenaries heading towards Moscow at the weekend.

“Ukraine‘s position: the expected result is to receive an invitation for simplified accession at the summit in July. But, importantly, we would like to receive an absolutely clear signal that would establish Ukraine‘s path to NATO membership,” he told a briefing for German media.

Moscow mayor cancels Wagner mutiny anti-terror regime in city

Monday 26 June 2023 08:12 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said he was cancelling a counter-terrorism regime imposed in the Russian capital during what the authorities on Saturday called an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group.

Sobyanin made the announcement in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging application on Monday. Russian media cited local Federal Security Service (FSB) offices as saying similar regimes had been cancelled in the Voronezh and Moscow regions.

Separately, Russia‘s National Anti-terrorism Committee said the situation in the country was “stable”.

Anti-terrorist regimes were imposed in the three regions on Saturday, as a column of rebellious Wagner mercenaries moved towards Moscow, exchanging fire with security forces