Russia-Ukraine war live: US spy agencies knew ‘something was up’ days before dramatic Wagner coup attempt

US spy agencies had learned in mid-June about armed action being planned by Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, said a report.

There were “enough signals to be able to tell the leadership [in the US] that something was up”, reported The Washington Post, citing an unnamed US official. “So I think they were ready for it.”

Mr Prigozhin and his troops won’t face criminal charges over his attempted coup in Russia, the Kremlin said.

He will be moved to Belarus, a close ally of Russia, after his mercenary army captured army bases in two Russian cities but called off their advance on Moscow at the 11th hour to “avoid bloodshed”.

The move marked a humiliating climbdown for Vladimir Putin after he earlier vowed to take revenge on those behind the mutiny. Wagner’s forces were about four hours away from Moscow when news of the dramatic turnaround came.

Earlier on Saturday, Mr Putin’s whereabouts had come into question after an aircraft belonging to the presidency was spotted flying from Moscow to St Petersburg. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied Mr Putin had fled.

Key Points

• Russia saved from brink of civil war at 11th hour

• US congressional leaders were briefed on Wagner forces days before rebellion

• Kremlin denies Putin has fled Moscow as plane mysteriously disappears from radar

• Wagner military column seen moving closer to Moscow as it passes Russian city of Voronezh

• Furious Putin calls Wagner coup ‘treason’: ‘This is a stab in the back to everyone in Russia’

Russian state TV’s Dmitry Kiselyov says resolution of Wagner Group mutiny shows Russia is united

18:15 , Lucy Skoulding

BBC Monitoring’s Francis Scarr has shared a clip from Russian state TV’s Dmitry Kiselyov on Twitter.

Kiselyov has said that the quick resolution of the Wagner Group’s mutiny shows Russia is united as a nation.

Mr Scarr tweeted: “In his flagship Sunday night news show, state TV’s Dmitry Kiselyov claimed the resolution to the Wagner mutiny demonstrated that Russia is a united nation

“He also dug up an old clip of Putin saying that he is able to forgive many things, but not ‘betrayal.’”

Repressive Belarus an awkward landing place for rebellious Russian mercenary boss

18:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was notorious for unbridled and profane challenges to authority even before the attempted rebellion that he mounted Saturday. The reported agreement for him to go into exile in Belarus would place him in a country where such behavior is even less acceptable than in his homeland.

Prigozhin on Sunday was uncharacteristically silent as his Wagner private army forces pulled back from Russian cities after a Kremlin announcement that he agreed to depart for Belarus; it remains unclear whether he’s actually there.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko reportedly negotiated the deal. But Prigozhin’s maverick ways are at odds with Lukashenko’s harsh repression of dissent and independent media. In power since 1994, the leader often called “Europe’s last dictator” launched a brutal crackdown on 2020 protests against his rule; hundreds were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski.

Repressive Belarus an awkward landing place for rebellious Russian mercenary boss

What is the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin?

17:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine have been supported on the battlefield by tens of thousands of mercenaries from a shadowy group led by a businessman and longtime affiliate of president Vladimir Putin.

The Wagner Group is a private military company under the control of Yevgeny Prigozhin that cut its teeth in deployments to Crimea and eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region in 2014 and has since dispatched troops to several conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, including the Syrian Civil War.

In Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Wagner has proved indispensable, but an apparent power struggle between the Kremlin and the outspoken Mr Prigozhin has led to the group having its wings clipped by Moscow.

What is the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin?

‘We haven’t heard the last of Prigozhin,’ Lord Dannatt says after Wagner chief exiled

17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Former chief of the UK general staff, Lord Richard Dannatt, has discussed the fate of the head of the Wagner mercenary group after events in Russia in the last 24 hours.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who ordered his troops to march on Moscow, abruptly reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile in Belarus and sounded the retreat on Saturday evening (24 June).

However, Lord Dannatt does not believe “we’ve heard the last” of the rebellious mercenary commander.

“We haven’t heard the last of Prigozhin, but we may have begun to hear about the latter days of Vladimir Putin,” He told BBC Breakfast.

‘We haven’t heard the last of Prigozhin,’ Lord Dannatt says after Wagner chief exiled

Mapped: Inside Russian Wagner group’s road towards Moscow

16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In case you missed it...

Wagner’s armed rebellion dramatically called off its march towards Moscow on Saturday as it abandoned a coup that saw soldiers take control of the military headquarters in both Rostov and Voronezh.

Rogue Russian mercenary fighters had their efforts labelled as “treason” by Vladimir Putin after the shock advance that began on Friday evening.

The mutiny, called off when troops were just four hours from the Russian capital in a deal brokered by Belarus, marked one of the most explosive episodes in the country’s war saga to date.

The move came after the group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Kremlin of deliberately bombing Wagner troops in Bakhmut.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence has called the instalment “the most significant challenge to the Russian state” in a series of events that are set to put the city firmly on the map.

Mapped: Inside Russian Wagner group’s road towards Moscow

China expresses support for Russia after aborted mutiny

16:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

China supports Russia in maintaining its national stability, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Sunday, a day after an aborted mutiny by the Wagner group of heavily armed mercenaries.

Russia‘s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko held talks in Beijing on “international” issues on Sunday following the most serious challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“The Chinese side expressed support for the efforts of the leadership of the Russian Federation to stabilise the situation in the country in connection with the events of June 24 and confirmed its interest in strengthening the cohesion and further prosperity of Russia,” the Russian foreign ministry said.

China’s foreign ministry initially said only that Rudenko had exchanged views with China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Sino-Russian relations as well as “international and regional issues of common concern”.

It later said China supports Russia in maintaining its national stability and that the recent escalation in tensions in Russia was Russia‘s “internal affairs”.

It was unclear when Rudenko arrived in Beijing, or whether his visit to China, a key ally of Russia, was in response to the apparent rebellion led by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The mutiny was aborted on Saturday in a deal that spared Prigozhin and his mercenaries from facing criminal charges in return for Prigozhin pulling his fighters back to base and moving to Belarus.

Putin has clung on – but his fight for power has only just begun

15:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Russian leader has dodged the immediate threat the from the mercenary leader of the Wagner Group, but there is likely to be a high price to pay, writes Mary Dejevsky:

It’s over – or is it? After 24 hours of high drama, which involved a 25,000 strong mercenary force mounting what increasingly became a direct challenge to President Putin and an armed convoy that came within 200km of Moscow, all would now appear to be quiet on the Russian front. In so many ways, though, the power dynamic inside Russia, and potentially also in the Russia-Ukraine war, has changed.

The questions now are how deep that change runs, whether it is permanent, and what was the cost to Putin of the 11th hour agreement – brokered by Belarus president, Alexander Lukashenka – that led to the convoy being turned around and the chief mutineer settling for exile and immunity from prosecution.

In averting a coup, Putin has won the battle – but not the war | Mary Dejevsky

‘Cracks are emerging’: US secretary of state says Putin’s power is weakening

15:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The US secretary of state has said Wagner’s attempted coup shows that there are “cracks emerging” in Vladimir Putin’s edifice.

Speaking to ABC News, Antony Blinken said: “If you put this in context 16 months ago, Putin was on the doorstep of Kyiv in Ukraine, looking to take the city in a matter of days, erase the country from the map.

“Now, he’s had to defend Moscow, Russia’s capital, against a mercenary of his own making.

“So, I think this is clearly -- we see cracks emerging. Where they go, if anywhere, when they get there, very hard to say. I don’t want to speculate on it.”

Wagner rebellion turmoil an ‘internal matter’ for Russia – minister

15:12 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The aftermath of the Wagner rebellion in Russia is an “internal matter” which will not affect the UK’s ongoing support for Ukraine, a Cabinet minister has said.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen made the comments as the fallout from the mercenary group’s march on Moscow continues.

The group’s forces, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, were just 120 miles from Moscow before the rebellion was called off to avoid shedding Russian blood.

He has gone into exile in Belarus after a deal with Vladimir Putin’s government was brokered at the last minute.

The agreement will see charges against him of mounting an armed rebellion dropped.

Wagner rebellion turmoil an ‘internal matter’ for Russia – minister

UK at ‘risk of woefully underestimating’ Russia

14:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The UK is at risk of “woefully underestimating” Russia and its armed forces, the former chief of the defence staff has warned.

Lord Richards told Times Radio: “It seems to me that we have been at risk of woefully underestimating Russia and her armed forces, you know, despite the obvious chaos at the top levels of Russian defence, and the arguments between Wagner and the General Staff, and so on.

“The fact is, it doesn’t appear as if Ukraine has been able to exploit it to achieve what it wants to do and needs to do, which is ... a big penetration of the Russian lines.

“And I suspect that whilst it might yet still happen, that we are in, despite the weakened state, arguably of (Vladimir) Putin, we’re in for a long haul here. And that actually is the worst of all worlds for the West.

“What we should have achieved or sought to achieve is a much more rapid and decisive victory, full blooded engagement last year, we failed to do this.”

Storm Z recruits accuse Prigozhin of ‘walking off’ after signing deal with Putin

14:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Recruits of Storm Z have accused Yevgeny Prigozhin of “walking off” in the middle of an attempted coup after making a deal with Vladimir Putin.

In a video, the Russian military unit made up of convicts said: “Rumours say you walked off, lied to all the lads. The whole of Storm Z was ready to stand behind you, and not only Storm Z, your guys also. But you walked off.”

He added: “When people move, they move together. But it turns out you’re not a man.”

‘Most ridiculous attempt at mutiny ever'

13:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

An adviser to the Ukrainian defence minister described the Wagner rebellion in Russia as “the most ridiculous attempt at mutiny” ever.

“This only makes Russia weaker and makes us stronger,” Yuriy Sak told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend.

“What happened yesterday in Russia, it will probably go down in history as the most ridiculous attempt at mutiny that was ever attempted.

“It will have no bearing on our plans. We are on a mission to liberate our land and I just hope that our allies watching this ridiculous mutiny yesterday, they understand that the only way to end the war in Ukraine is to ensure that Ukraine defeats Russia militarily.

“There can be no hope for some kind of internal transformation in Russia. It’s only going to happen on the battlefield.”

Putin expresses confidence on Ukraine in interview recorded before revolt

13:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian state television on Sunday showed Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing confidence in plans for Ukraine in an interview that appeared to have been recorded before Saturday’s aborted revolt by the Wagner group of mercenaries.

“We feel confident, and, of course, we are in a position to implement all the plans and tasks ahead of us,” Putin said. “This also applies to the country’s defence, it applies to the special military operation, it applies to the economy as a whole and its individual areas.”

The comments in an interview with Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin were broadcast by Rossiya state television. Zarubin said the interview was done after a meeting with military graduates, in an apparent reference to an event held on Wednesday.

The full interview was due to be broadcast later on Sunday.

The short report did not mention Saturday’s revolt, in which Wagner mercenaries took a southern city before heading toward Moscow. In a televised address before the drama was defused and the group stopped their advance, Putin said the rebellion put Russia‘s very existence under threat.

In its daily briefing on Sunday the Defence Ministry also did not mention anything about the actions of Wagner and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Asked in the interview how much time he dedicates to what Russia calls its special military operation, Putin said: “Of course, this is paramount, every day starts and ends with this.”

Putin says he is confident in Ukraine plans

13:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday told state television he was in constant contact with the defence ministry and that the country remained confident in realising its plans related to the “special military operation” in Ukraine.

The comments in an interview with Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin were broadcast by Rossiya state television. The full interview was due to be broadcast later on Sunday.

Putin will put his jackboot on the throat of Prigozhin and Wagner – I know from experience

13:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Using brutality to try to stamp out dissent is what the Russian president has done for more than 20 years, writes Kremlin critic Bill Browder:

The first – and most important – thing to know about Vladimir Putin is that he has to show total strength all the time in order to stay in power.

The actions of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary forces, are a direct challenge to that. But Putin’s psychology is the psychology of the prison yard. If you are new in the prison yard you have to show such brutality to make your mark and then keep up that same level to maintain a position at the top. That is what Putin has done ever since he came to power more than 20 years ago.

Putin terrorises anyone who gets in his way – I know from experience | Bill Browder

Russian mercenary leader's exile ends revolt but leaves questions about Putin's power

12:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Vladimir Putin had initially vowed to punish those behind the armed uprising led by his onetime protege.

In a televised speech to the nation, he called the rebellion a “betrayal” and “treason.”

In allowing Prigozhin and his forces to go free, Peskov said, Putin’s “highest goal” was “to avoid bloodshed and internal confrontation with unpredictable results.”

The risk for Putin is whether he will be seen as weak, analysts said. “Putin has been diminished for all time by this affair,” former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst said on CNN.

Early Saturday, Prigozhin’s private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow, which runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said.

Moscow braced for the arrival of the Wagner forces by erecting checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on the city’s southern edge.

About 3,000 Chechen soldiers were pulled from fighting in Ukraine and rushed there early Saturday, state television in Chechnya reported.

Russian troops armed with machine guns put up checkpoints on Moscow’s southern outskirts. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march.

Wagner troops advanced to just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, according to Prigozhin.

But after the deal was struck, Prigozhin announced that he had decided to retreat to avoid “shedding Russian blood.

”A U.S.-based think tank argued that Prigozhin’s rebellion “exposed severe weaknesses” in the Kremlin and the Ministry of Defense.

The Institute for the Study of War said that the Kremlin struggled to put up a coherent response to the rebellion, and that one reason was likely the impact of heavy Russian losses in Ukraine.

“Wagner likely could have reached the outskirts of Moscow if Prigozhin chose to order them to do so,” the institute said.

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

12:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

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?

Wagner fighters cheered by locals as they withdraw from Rostov-on-Don

12:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Locals in Rostov-on-Don took selfies with Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and cheered as his mercenaries left the Russian city on Saturday evening (24 June).

The head of the group called off the mutiny at the 11th hour as his men raced to Moscow in action Vladimir Putin had described as “treason” hours earlier.

Footage shows Rostov residents wishing Prigozhin well and cheering his troops as they departed the city that they had moved into unimpeded on Saturday.

Prigozhin will be exiled from Russia to Belarus as part of a truce agreed with Putin.

Wagner fighters cheered by locals as they withdraw from Rostov-on-Don

‘We haven’t heard the last of Prigozhin,’ Lord Dannatt says after Wagner chief exiled

11:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Former chief of the UK general staff, Lord Richard Dannatt, has discussed the fate of the head of the Wagner mercenary group after events in Russia in the last 24 hours.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who ordered his troops to march on Moscow, abruptly reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile in Belarus and sounded the retreat on Saturday evening (24 June).

However, Lord Dannatt does not believe “we’ve heard the last” of the rebellious mercenary commander.

“We haven’t heard the last of Prigozhin, but we may have begun to hear about the latter days of Vladimir Putin,” He told BBC Breakfast.

‘We haven’t heard the last of Prigozhin,’ Lord Dannatt says after Wagner chief exiled

N.Korea vice foreign minister supports Russian leadership over mutiny

11:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

North Korea’s vice foreign minister in a meeting with the Russian ambassador on Sunday said he supported any decision by the Russian leadership to deal with a recent mutiny, North Korean state media reported.

Im Chon Il, the vice foreign minister, “expressed firm belief that the recent armed rebellion in Russia would be successfully put down in conformity with the aspiration and will of the Russian people,” state KCNA news agency said.

Heavily armed Russian mercenaries who advanced most of the way to Moscow this weekend halted their approach, de-escalating a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power, in a move their leader said would avoid bloodshed.

North Korea has sought to forge closer ties with the Kremlin and backed Moscow after it invaded Ukraine last year, blaming the “hegemonic policy” of the United States and the West.

Im also said he believed the Russian army would “overcome trials and ordeals and heroically emerge victorious in the special military operation against Ukraine,” according to KCNA.

Putin ‘very afraid’ and ‘probably hiding’ after Wagner rebellion, Zelensky says

11:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested Vladimir Putin is “very afraid” after a rebellion from Wagner Group mercenaries.

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s men were barely 100 miles from Moscow when the mutiny was called off, with the leader cleared of any criminal charges and sent to Belarus hours after the Russian president had labelled the action as “treason”.

“The man from the Kremlin is obviously very afraid and probably hiding somewhere, not showing himself,” Ukrainian president Zelensky said on Saturday evening (24 June).

“I am sure that he is no longer in Moscow.”

Putin ‘very afraid’ and ‘probably hiding’ after Wagner rebellion, Zelensky says

Chechen special forces withdraw from Russia's Rostov region -TASS

10:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Chechen special forces deployed to Russia‘s Rostov region to resist an advance by the Wagner mercenary group were withdrawing on Sunday, the TASS news agency reported, citing a commander.

The “Akhmat” special forces are returning to where they were fighting previously, commander Apty Alaudinov was quoted as saying by the news agency.

Attacks in Kyiv could take place from Belarus if Wagner forces follow Prigozhin to country

10:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A renewed attack on Kyiv from Belarus could take place if Wagner Group mercenaries follow their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin into the country, a former chief of the UK General Staff has warned.

Lord Dannatt told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: “Apparently he’s left the stage to go to Belarus but is that the end of Prigozhin and the Wagner Group? The fact that he’s gone to Belarus is I think a matter of some concern.

“What we don’t know, what we will discover in the next hours and days is... how many of his fighters have actually gone with him.

“If he has gone to Belarus and has kept an effective fighting force around him, he then presents a threat again to the Ukrainian flank closest to Kyiv which is where all this began on February 24 last year.

“Although it would appear that this matter is closed I think it is far from closed and the aftershocks will reverberate for quite some time.

“They (Ukraine) need to watch that flank very carefully and make sure they have got some manoeuvre units such that they could repel a renewed attack from the direction of Belarus.”

What is the Wagner group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin and why did they attack Russia?

09:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine have been supported on the battlefield by tens of thousands of mercenaries from a shadowy group led by a businessman and longtime affiliate of president Vladimir Putin.

The Wagner Group is a private military company under the control of Yevgeny Prigozhin that cut its teeth in deployments to Crimea and eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region in 2014 and has since dispatched troops to several conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, including the Syrian Civil War.

In Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Wagner has proved indispensable, but an apparent power struggle between the Kremlin and the outspoken Mr Prigozhin has led to the group having its wings clipped by Moscow.

What is the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin?

All transport restrictions lifted in Russia’s Rostov region

09:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

All transport restrictions in Russia‘s Rostov region have been lifted, including those on highways, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday, citing local officials.

“Bus and railway stations are working in normal mode. Tickets are on sale, all destinations are on schedule,” Sergey Tyurin, deputy minister of regional policy and mass communications for the Rostov region was quoted as saying.

A civilian man killed in Russian shelling of Kherson - governor

09:09 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A civilian man died after Russian forces shelled Ukraine‘s southern city of Kherson, local governor said on Sunday.

Ukraine recaptured the city of Kherson and parts of the Kherson region in November after months of Russian occupation, but Russian forces regularly shell the city and surrounding areas from the opposite side of Dnipro River.

“One of the shells exploded right in the middle of the room,” Oleksandr Prokudin said on the Telegram messaging app.

He said another woman was trapped under the rubble but alive.

Ukrainian authorities also reported that Russians shelled the south of Dnipropetrovsk region during the night, injuring one person and damaging three private houses.

Reuters was unable immediately to verify the report

Mapped: Inside Russian Wagner group’s road towards Moscow

08:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Wagner’s armed rebellion dramatically called off its march towards Moscow on Saturday as it abandoned a coup that saw soldiers take control of the military headquarters in both Rostov and Voronezh.

Rogue Russian mercenary fighters had their efforts labelled as “treason” by Vladimir Putin after the shock advance that began on Friday evening.

The mutiny, called off when troops were just four hours from the Russian capital in a deal brokered by Belarus, marked one of the most explosive episodes in the country’s war saga to date.

The move came after the group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Kremlin of deliberately bombing Wagner troops in Bakhmut.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence has called the instalment “the most significant challenge to the Russian state” in a series of events that are set to put the city firmly on the map.

Mapped: Inside Russian Wagner group’s road towards Moscow

Russia urges Moscow residents to avoid key highway until 0700 GMT

08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s Federal Road Agency urged residents of the Moscow region on Sunday to refrain from travelling along the M-4 “Don” major expressway until 10 a.m. (0700 GMT).

The agency had said earlier in the day on the Telegram messaging app, in a post now deleted, that traffic restrictions on the highway in the Moscow and Tula regions remained.

Heavily armed Russian mercenaries who had advanced most of the way to Moscow on Saturday then halted their approach, de-escalating a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power, in a move their leader said would avoid bloodshed.

Zelensky says ‘scared' Putin ‘probably hiding somewhere’

08:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has said Vladimir Putin is “probably hiding somewhere” after Wagner troops launched an armed rebellion on Saturday.

Before the rebel group’s chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, called off the mutiny, there was speculation about Putin’s whereabouts.

In his daily address, Zelensky said: “The man from the Kremlin is obviously very scared and is probably hiding somewhere.”

Russian mercenary leader's exile ends revolt but leaves questions about Putin's power

08:00 , Namita Singh

The greatest challenge to Russian president Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power fizzled out after the rebellious mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow abruptly reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile and sounded the retreat.

The brief revolt, though, exposed vulnerabilities among Russian government forces, with Wagner Group soldiers under the command of Yevgeny Prigozhin able to move unimpeded into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and advance hundreds of kilometres toward Moscow. The Russian military scrambled to defend Russia’s capital.

Under the deal announced on Saturday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Mr Prigozhin will go to neighboring Belarus, which has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Charges against him of mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped.

Report:

Russian mercenary leader's exile ends revolt but leaves questions about Putin's power

Russia’s Rostov-on-Don calm after Prigozhin leaves

07:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The situation around the headquarters of Russia‘s Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don was calm and street traffic resumed, RIA state news agency said on Sunday after Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenaries left the city.

In a video on the agency’s Telegram messaging app, which it said was taken in the city of Rostov-on-Don, a man was sweeping a street and cars were moving along another street.

Reuters could not independently verify the report.

Late on Saturday, Prigozhin, the head of Russia‘s Wagner mercenary group, was seen leaving the district military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don after halting a rebellion against Russia‘s military establishment.

Mapped: Inside Russian Wagner group’s road towards Moscow

07:30 , Namita Singh

Wagner’s armed rebellion dramatically called off its march towards Moscow on Saturday as it abandoned a coup that saw soldiers take control of the military headquarters in both Rostov and Voronezh.

Rogue Russian mercenary fighters had their efforts labelled as “treason” by Vladimir Putin after the shock advance that began on Friday evening.

The mutiny, called off when troops were just four hours from the Russian capital in a deal brokered by Belarus, marked one of the most explosive episodes in the country’s war saga to date.

The move came after the group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Kremlin of deliberately bombing Wagner troops in Bakhmut.

Report:

Mapped: Inside Russian Wagner group’s road towards Moscow

Russia urges Moscow residents to temporarily avoid key highway

07:07 , Namita Singh

Russia’s Federal Road Agency urged residents of the Moscow region on Sunday to refrain from travelling along the M-4 “Don” major expressway until 10am local time.

The agency had said earlier in the day on the Telegram messaging app, in a post now deleted, that traffic restrictions on the highway in the Moscow and Tula regions remained.

Heavily armed Russian mercenaries who had advanced most of the way to Moscow on Saturday then halted their approach, de-escalating a major challenge to president Vladimir Putin’s grip on power, in a move their leader said would avoid bloodshed.

Kremlin denies Putin has fled Moscow as Russia president’s plane ‘disappears’

06:30 , Namita Singh

The Kremlin has denied Vladimir Putin has fled Moscow by plane after claiming Russia is ‘facing treason’ from members of the mutinous Wagner group.

One of several planes that the Russian president uses for official visits took off from Moscow at 2.15pm local time, according to Flight Radar, which tracks aircraft in real-time.

Less than half an hour later, it went off radar about 150 kilometres from Putin’s official residence.

More in this report:

Kremlin denies Putin has fled Moscow as Russia president’s plane ‘disappears’

US briefed on Wagner forces days before rebellion started

05:59 , Namita Singh

US congressional leaders were reportedly briefed on a build-up of Wagner forces days before their commander claimed the attacks, which sparked their rebellion against Russia, took place.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said his mercenary group’s camps in Ukraine had been attacked by rival forces from the Russian military on Friday, leading to them taking over the strategic city of Rostov-on-Don and marching towards Moscow before a deal was agreed for them to withdraw.

But CNN and The New York Times reported that US intelligence briefings on Wagner building troops near the Russian border were taking place earlier in the week.

Mutiny, mayhem and panic on the streets of Moscow: Russia saved from brink of civil war at 11th hour

05:30 , Namita Singh

Russia appears to have stepped back from the brink of a full-scale armed mutiny after the Wagner Group, one of the world’s most powerful private armies, halted a march on Moscow started by a vow for revenge.

While the immediate threat seems to have been averted, the unprecedented attack on the Russian military establishment marks the most serious challenge to President Vladimir Putin in the 23 years he has ruled with an iron fist – and the crisis is unlikely to just disappear just because the military convoy halted about 200km (125 miles) from the Russian capital.

Earlier in an extraordinary day, a visibly angry Mr Putin made an emergency address to the nation railing against the attempted coup and said the very existence of the Russian state was at stake.

Our international correspondent Bel Trew reports from Kyiv:

Mutiny, mayhem and panic: Russia saved from brink of civil war

Sunak to stay in touch with allies after deal to end Russia rebellion

04:30 , Namita Singh

Prime minister Rishi Sunak is expected to stay in close contact with Western allies about the extraordinary events in Russia, where a rebellion against Vladimir Putin appeared to be defused when mercenaries turned back from Moscow and their chief was ordered to Belarus.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin will leave Russia as part of a deal to end his uprising and charges against him will be dropped, the Kremlin said.

Russian authorities will not prosecute troops who joined him in the mutiny and will offer Russian military contracts to those who did not.

Mr Prigozhin told his forces to halt their advance on the capital to avoid “bloodshed” as part of the deal, which de-escalated a growing crisis that amounted to the greatest ever security challenge to the Russian president.

Report:

Sunak to stay in touch with allies after deal to end Russia rebellion

Muscovites made uneasy by revolt, Ukrainians pleased at internal turmoil

04:00 , William Mata

Muscovites on Saturday expressed unease or dismissed as political theatre a standoff pitting the Kremlin against Wagner mercenaries who had vowed to descend on the capital in a "march of justice" denouncing the conduct of the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainians, on the other hand, were clearly satisfied, sometimes gleeful, at the prospect of a split in Russian ranks 16 months after the Kremlin's troops invaded their country.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, had declared that a "counter-terrorism regime" was in force, before the leader of the Wagner private militia announced that his fighters would turn back to avoid bloodshed.

Yevgeny Prigozhin had said he wanted to oust the army's top brass and "restore justice", while Putin had promised to crush the mutiny.

One Moscow resident who gave his name as Nikolai - declining like others to give his surname - watched the military take up positions to protect the city.

"It's frightening of course - you sit at home thinking about what might happen," he told Reuters. "It's disturbing, both for you and your loved ones."

Russia mercenary threat revives concern over nuclear arsenal security

03:30 , William Mata

The Wagner mercenary group's march on Moscow has revived an old fear in Washington: what happens to Russia's nuclear stockpile in the event of domestic upheaval.

An agreement on Saturday by Wagner's boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to order his fighters back to their camps quelled immediate worries of major conflict inside Russia. But the episode signaled that Russian President Vladimir Putin's grasp on power is weakening.

Images of tanks on Russian streets brought to mind the failed 1991 coup by communist hardliners that raised concerns about the security of the Soviet nuclear arsenal and the possibility of a rogue commander stealing a warhead, said former U.S. intelligence officials.

"The IC (intelligence community) will be super-focused on the (Russian) nuclear stockpile," said Marc Polymeropoulos, a former senior CIA officer who oversaw the agency's clandestine operations in Europe and Eurasia.

‘The crisis in Russia will force Keir Starmer to focus on the responsibility of government’

03:00 , William Mata

It is not just the Conservative Party that is keeping an eye on the events in Russia.

John Rentoul writes that the time has come for some serious thinking about what a Labour cabinet would look like.

Earlier, Rishi Sunak was having discussions with world leaders about what the crisis could mean.

All restrictions on Russian highways lifted

02:30 , William Mata

All restrictions previously imposed on highways in Russia have been lifted, the TASS news agency said early on Sunday, citing the Federal Road Agency.

Heavily armed Russian mercenaries who advanced most of the way to Moscow began turning back on Saturday, de-escalating a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin's grip on power, in a move their leader said would avoid bloodshed.

Earlier, the city had been in a lockdown state.

Mapped: Inside Russian Wagner group’s location and road towards Moscow

02:00 , William Mata

Wagner’s armed rebellion was racing towards Moscow on Saturday afternoon after taking control of the military headquarters in both Rostov and later Voronezh.

Rogue Russian mercenary fighters have had their efforts labelled as “treason” by Vladimir Putin after the shock advance that began on Friday evening.

The escalation marks one of the most explosive episodes in the country’s war saga to date after the group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Kremlin of deliberately bombing Wagner troops.

See the latest map and developments here.

Israel says Russia developments are an internal affair

01:30 , William Mata

Developments in Russia are an internal matter, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, according to a statement from his office.

"While this was an internal Russian matter in which Israel was not involved, Israel would continue to monitor developments closely," said the statement released after Netanyahu's discussions with diplomatic and security officials.

British prime minister Rishi Sunak has been in discussion with with US, French and German leaders.

Prigozhin seen leaving military HQ in Rostov-on-Don on Russian agency video

01:00 , William Mata

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, could be seen leaving the district military headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don in an SUV in a video posted on Telegram on Saturday by the Russian state news agency RIA.

Prigozhin had earlier agreed to end a rebellion against Moscow's military leadership after mediation from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and the Kremlin said he would be moving to Belarus under the deal they had agreed.

Three thousand elite Chechen troops sent to protect Moscow

Sunday 25 June 2023 00:30 , William Mata

Three thousand elite Chechen troops took up positions in Moscow early on Saturday morning to defend the Russian capital against advancing mutineers from the Wagner mercenary group, the Chechen state broadcaster "Grozny" said on Saturday night.

"The fighters have been at their positions in Moscow since early morning and are ready to carry out any order from Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin," it said on Telegram.

On Saturday afternoon, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin agreed to call back his armed convoy approaching the capital with the aim of toppling the military leadership, under an agreement brokered by the president of Belarus.

‘Putin has never looked weaker – it is hard to see how he can ever recover’

Sunday 25 June 2023 00:00 , William Mata

Mary Dejevsky writes:

“The Russian president may not be able to win a war on two fronts.

“His address in the wake of the Wagner uprising sounded desperate instead of defiant.”

Read the full column here.

Was Russia on the brink of civil war?

Saturday 24 June 2023 23:45 , William Mata

Russia appears to have stepped back from the brink of a full-scale armed mutiny, writes Bel Trew.

This is after the Wagner Group, one of the world’s most powerful private armies, halted a march on Moscow started by a vow for revenge.

While the immediate threat seems to have been averted, the unprecedented attack on the Russian military establishment marks the most serious challenge to president Vladimir Putin in the 23 years he has ruled with an iron fist – and the crisis is unlikely to just disappear just because the military convoy halted about 200km (125 miles) from the Russian capital.

Read the full article here.

‘Putin will put his jackboot on the throat of Prigozhin and Wagner – I know from experience’

Saturday 24 June 2023 23:30 , William Mata

Using brutality to try to stamp out dissent is what the Russian president has done for more than 20 years, writes Kremlin critic Bill Browder.

He says in a column for the Independent: “The first – and most important – thing to know about Vladimir Putin is that he has to show total strength all the time in order to stay in power.

“The actions of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary forces, are a direct challenge to that. But Putin’s psychology is the psychology of the prison yard.”

Read the full column here.

Streets in central Rostov-on-Don reopened to traffic amid Wagner pullout

Saturday 24 June 2023 23:15 , William Mata

Streets in the centre of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don were being reopened to traffic on Saturday night as the Wagner mercenary fighters who had taken control of key facilities began to pull out, the Interfax news agency reported.

Earlier, the Wagner troops were seen driving out of the city having been ordered to stand down by their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

ICYMI: Wagner chief turns troops back from Moscow ‘to avoid bloodshed'

Saturday 24 June 2023 23:00 , Natalie Crockett

Mutinous Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin turned his troops back from Moscow to “avoid bloodshed” in a dramatic U-turn in his rebellion against Vladimir Putin.

In an audio message, the rebellious mercenary group leader said his soldiers would return to their bases, in a dramatic U-turn just hours before they were expected to reach the city.

He said he gave the order to turn back from their advance on Moscow, after earlier taking control of military bases in the cities of Rostov and Voronezh, “because of the risk of blood being spilled”.

The announcement appeared to defuse a growing crisis as people in Moscow braced for the arrival of the private army, with residents told to stay at home and work cancelled on Monday.

Read the full story here:

Wagner chief turns troops back from Moscow ‘to avoid bloodshed’ in Russian city

The mercenary chief who urged an uprising against Russia's generals has long ties to Putin

Saturday 24 June 2023 22:45 , William Mata

The millionaire mercenary chief who long benefitted from the powerful patronage of President Vladimir Putin has moved into the global spotlight with a dramatic rebellion against Russia's military that has challenged the authority of Putin himself.

Yevgeny Prigozhin is the 62-year-old owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, a hired private army of inmate recruits and other mercenaries that has fought some of the deadliest battles in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On Friday, Prigozhin abruptly escalated months of scathing criticism of Russia's conduct of the war, calling for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister, and then rolling toward Moscow with his soldiers-for-hire.

As Putin's government declared a "counterterrorism" alert and scrambled to seal off Moscow with checkpoints, Prigozhin just as abruptly stood down. As he retreated with his forces, it was unclear what was next for Prigozhin, a former prison inmate, hot-dog vendor and restaurant owner who riveted world attention.

Deal to end Wagner coup 'could see defence minister sacked'

Saturday 24 June 2023 22:30 , William Mata

A deal was struck to bring an end to an uprising by the Wagner group of mercenaries which included promising its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin safety, a Russia expert believes.

Dr Patricia Lewis, director of the International Security programme at the Chatham House think tank, told the PA news agency she also believes the Kremlin agreed that defence minister Sergei Shoigu would be sacked as part of the agreement.

She added that Vladimir Putin has been "weakened" by the events in the country.

She went on: "No longer can they call it (the Ukraine war) a special military operation and say it is about the protection of Russians in Ukraine.

"Those who understand it differently will have a bit of an opening."

Cleverly: ‘We are monitoring the situation carefully’

Saturday 24 June 2023 22:15 , William Mata

Foreign secretary Jame Cleverly tweeted that "we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies" and "we continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) travel advice".

An FCDO spokesperson said: "The Foreign Secretary has chaired a meeting of COBR to update on the latest situation, particularly with respect to British nationals in Russia."

On Saturday morning, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that "over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces ... will be key to how the crisis plays out" as Wagner forces moved towards the Russian capital.

Call from Rishi Sunak to ‘protect civilian lives’

Saturday 24 June 2023 22:02 , William Mata

The prime minister urged all parties involved in the Russian infighting to protect civilian lives.

“We’re keeping a close eye on the situation, as it’s evolving on the ground as we speak,” Mr Sunak told the BBC.

“The most important thing I’d say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and that’s about as much as I can say at this moment.”

Pressed on advice for British nationals remaining in Russia, Mr Sunak said the UK has “had long-standing travel advice against travel to Russia” and “people should keep checking the Foreign Office website for updates”.

Mutiny, mayhem and panic on the streets of Moscow

Saturday 24 June 2023 21:55 , Natalie Crockett

Russia appears to have stepped back from the brink of a full-scale armed mutiny, after the Wagner Group, one of the world’s most powerful private armies, halted a march on Moscow started by a vow for revenge.

While the immediate threat seems to have been averted, the unprecedented attack on the Russian military establishment marks the most serious challenge to President Vladimir Putin in the 23 years he has ruled with an iron fist – and the crisis is unlikely to just disappear just because the military convoy halted 125 miles from the Russian capital.

Earlier in an extraordinary day, a visibly angry Mr Putin made an emergency address to the nation railing against the attempted coup and said the very existence of the Russian state was at stake.

The Independent’s International Correspondent Bel Trew, in Kyiv, has the full story:

Mutiny, mayhem and panic: Russia saved from brink of civil war

Crisis in Russia will give Ukraine ‘morale boost'

Saturday 24 June 2023 21:45 , Natalie Crockett

Ukraine will “press the advantage” in battle after Russia was left in disarray following an uprising by leader of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin, a leading Russia expert has said.

Dr Patricia Lewis, director of the International Security programme at Chatham House think tank, told PA news agency: “Ukraine will press the advantage right now.

“There will be a lot of uncertainty in the (Russian) troops and it will be prime time to double up the efforts in the counter-offensive.

“Ukraine will get a bit of a break from this and you don’t know quite how the Wagner troops will react. They (Ukraine) will also have a morale boost.”

However, she said she did not believe the uprising will cause the Russian army to collapse.

Wagner mutiny ‘not a stunt staged by Kremlin'

Saturday 24 June 2023 21:35 , Natalie Crockett

The mutiny by the head of the Wagner Group in Russia was not staged by the Kremlin, an expert on the country has said.

Dr Patricia Lewis, director of the International Security programme at Chatham House think tank said: “There was always concern this was staged. (Yevgeny) Prigozhin has been yelling at (Russian defence minister) Sergei Shoigu for quite a while about not getting enough ammunition.

She told the PA news agency: “Could it be possible that Putin is in on this? I don’t think so. I don’t think he would have gone on national TV and done this.

“I don’t think he would have put himself in that position. I think this is real.”

Sunak discusses rebellion in Russia with US

Saturday 24 June 2023 21:25 , Natalie Crockett

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has spoken to western allies about the armed rebellion led by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia, which UK defence officials have described as "the most significant challenge" to the Kremlin in recent times.

President Vladimir Putin faces an unprecedented crisis after mercenary chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, vowed to topple Moscow's military leadership.

Mr Sunak spoke to US president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday afternoon "to discuss the situation in Russia and reiterate their continuing support for Ukrainian sovereignty", Downing Street said.

It followed a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee chaired by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who also joined a call with fellow G7 foreign ministers to discuss the fast-moving situation.

Israel urges citizens to reconsider Russia travel

Saturday 24 June 2023 21:15 , William Mata

Israel on Saturday urged its citizens to reconsider their stay in Russia or their travel plans there.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to convene security chiefs later on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

There are an estimated 60 or 70,000 Israelis presently in Russia and around 500,000 Jews who are eligible for immigration to Israel.

Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus, Kremlin says

Saturday 24 June 2023 21:04 , Natalie Crockett

Wagner mercenary force chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus under a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to end an armed mutiny that Prigozhin had led against Russia’s military leadership, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s agreement, because he had known Mr Prigozhin personally for around 20 years.

Kremlin says avoiding bloodshed ‘more important than punishing people'

Saturday 24 June 2023 21:02 , Natalie Crockett

Wagner Group rebels and their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin will not face criminal charges, the Kremlin has confirmed.

In a statement issued after news that the mercenary army chief had turned his soldiers back from their advance on Moscow, Russia said avoiding bloodshed was more important than punishing police.

Although it did not say where Mr Prigozhin was, the Kremlin said he would be moved to Belarus.

It comes after they confirmed that Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko had brokered the deal to halt Wagner’s march on the Russian capital.

UAE calls for de-escalation and self restraint in Russia

Saturday 24 June 2023 21:00 , Reuters

The United Arab Emirates is following "with great concern" the situation in Russian, and called for de-escalation and self-restraint, the Gulf country's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday reported by its state news agency.

The UAE "stressed the need to respect the rules and principles of international law," it added.

Prigozhin ‘will not face criminal case over Wagner coup'

Saturday 24 June 2023 20:55 , Natalie Crockett

All criminal charges against Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will be dropped, the Kremlin has confirmed as it breaks its silence on the group’s advance on Moscow.

Russian Wagner fighters start pulling out of Rostov-on-Don

Saturday 24 June 2023 20:50 , William Mata

Fighters of the mutinous Wagner mercenary force started pulling out of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday night.

A Reuters journalist saw Wagner forces pulling away from the district military headquarters, where they had taken control.

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin had said his forces would return to base in order to avoid bloodshed, after Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said he had brokered a deal.

Wagner troops cheered as they leave Rostov

Saturday 24 June 2023 20:46 , William Mata

Fighters in the Wagner group have been cheered by Rostov residents as they moved on from the city.

They started pulling out on Saturday night after the group announced it would not be storming Moscow.

Ukraine looking to ‘press the advantage’ in battle

Saturday 24 June 2023 20:36 , William Mata

Ukraine will "press the advantage" in battle after Russia was left in disarray following an uprising by leader of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin, a leading Russia expert has said.

Dr Patricia Lewis, director of the International Security programme at Chatham House think tank, told PA news agency: "Ukraine will press the advantage right now.

“There will be a lot of uncertainty in the (Russian) troops and it will be prime time to double up the efforts in the counter-offensive.

“Ukraine will get a bit of a break from this and you don't know quite how the Wagner troops will react. They (Ukraine) will also have a morale boost.”

However, she said she did not believe the uprising will cause the Russian army to collapse.

Soldiers in Rostov are packing up

Saturday 24 June 2023 20:12 , William Mata

Video has shown Wagner group troops leaving Rostov, the city which they had taken.

Shouts of "boys, let's load up, let's go home,” were heard as the group took their leave.

Video: Wagner paramilitary boss orders troops to turn back from Moscow

Saturday 24 June 2023 20:04 , William Mata

Belarus president Lukashenko ‘told Putin of Prigozhin talks outcome’

Saturday 24 June 2023 19:55 , William Mata

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had a second telephone conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Saturday evening to inform him of the results of his talks with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, Belarusian state news agency Belta reported.

Earlier, Mr Lukashenko's office said he had spoken to Prigozhin with Mr Putin's approval, and that the mutinous head of the Wagner militia had agreed to stop the movements of his fighters, some of whom were advancing on Moscow in a convoy, and de-escalate.

Ukraine ‘making advances along the eastern front’

Saturday 24 June 2023 19:37 , William Mata

Ukraine is said to be making gains on the eastern front while their enemies have been distracted.

Deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar has been quoted as saying that gains were made near the eastern city of Bakhmut.

The Ukraine forces were said to have targeted a group of villages on Saturday.

"In all these areas, we have made advances," Ms Maliar wrote.

The Defence of Ukraine Twitter account was also updated with a similar message.

President Zelensky describes ‘complete chaos’ in Russia

Saturday 24 June 2023 19:30 , William Mata

Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country has “unity” that is not on display in Russia.

The Ukraine president described the invaders as being in “complete chaos”.

His tweet read: “Ukraine will definitely be able to protect Europe from any Russian forces, and it doesn't matter who commands them. We will protect. The security of Europe's eastern flank depends only on our defense.”