The open power struggle between mercenary boss Prigozhin and President Putin seems to have been settled, and Prigozhin should be allowed to leave Russia with impunity. Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine continues. The developments of the night at a glance.
The armed uprising of Russian mercenaries against their own state leadership in the middle of the Ukraine war seems to have been short-lived. Only a few hours after the start of the advance towards Moscow, mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin gave the order for his notorious private army to withdraw on Saturday evening. Shortly thereafter, the mercenaries gave up the positions they had held in southern Russia. Prigozhin himself will go unhindered to neighboring Belarus, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. As a guarantee for the free withdrawal, the former confidante of Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin has “the word of the president”.
Although Putin had announced that the insurgents would be punished that morning, the Kremlin made different statements in the evening. The fighters of the Wagner troops should not be prosecuted in view of their services at the front in Ukraine, as Peskov assured. Rather, some of the mercenaries are being offered a contract to serve in the Russian armed forces.
Lukashenko as mediator
According to his own statements, the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko had persuaded Prigozhin to give up his uprising. Lukashenko offered to be a mediator because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years, Peskov said. Prigozhin himself did not comment directly on this. It was not clear whether and when he wanted to leave southern Russia for Belarus.
Message on Telegram
Shortly before, the mercenary boss had announced that he would stop his units from advancing on the Russian capital Moscow. “Our columns are turning and heading back to the encampments in the opposite direction,” he said in a voice message published by his press service on Telegram. So far, “not a drop of our fighters’ blood” has been shed. “Now the moment has come when blood could be shed.” That’s why it’s time to turn the columns around.
It was initially not clear whether, in addition to impunity, other concessions were being made or at least promised to Prigozhin in order to stop his troops from advancing on Moscow. He was long considered a loyal companion of Putin, an untouchable figure in the Russian power structure, until the Kremlin chief called him a “traitor” on Saturday morning – and thus publicly dropped him.
Mercenaries withdraw
The Wagner troops gave up their positions in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, which they had held until early Sunday morning (local time). To the applause of the civilian population, the first vehicles with mercenaries first left the headquarters of the Russian Military Command South – which they had only occupied hours earlier – before later tanks and combat vehicles also left the city centre.
Dispute over competencies and ammunition supplies
According to official information, all roadblocks on the access roads around Moscow were lifted early Sunday morning. However, the city administration continued to adhere to the work-free Monday originally decreed by Mayor Sergei Sobyanin for security reasons.
The power struggle between Prigozhin and the Russian army leadership, which had been smoldering for months, escalated on Saturday night. The 62-year-old accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering an attack on a Wagner force military camp, risking the deaths of a “large number” of militants. The notorious mercenary unit fought alongside regular Russian troops in Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and most notably played an important role in the capture of the town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
However, there has been a dispute over competencies and ammunition supplies for months. Prigozhin repeatedly snubbed the army leadership with public criticism and malice – an unprecedented occurrence in Putin’s Russia, where voices critical of the government are systematically silenced. Nevertheless, Putin let him do it for a long time.
After the alleged attack on the Wagner camp, which the Ministry of Defense in Moscow immediately denied, Prigozhin announced a “march of justice” to punish those responsible. On Saturday, his troops first occupied military facilities in Rostov-on-Don. It later became known that other units had marched towards Moscow. According to Prigozhin, the heads of his units were recently only around 200 kilometers from the Russian capital.
War in Ukraine continues
According to the Russian leadership, the progress of the war against Ukraine has not been influenced by the Prigozhin uprising. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was also not aware of any change in the president’s attitude towards Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Prigozhin had accused the minister and chief of staff Valery Gerasimov of incompetence and blamed them for the many setbacks on the battlefield.
From Ukraine, Russian military reported heavy fighting in the Kupyansk region in the east of the country. Russian artillery repeatedly prevented troop movements in Ukraine on Saturday, it was said, while attack helicopters fired rockets inflicted losses on the Ukrainian units. The information could not be independently verified.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is shortening her trip to South Africa, which was originally planned to last two days, because of the power struggle in Russia. The minister had “postponed her planned departure to South Africa by one day in order to attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday morning in view of the latest developments in Russia,” said a spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office late Saturday evening in Berlin. Baerbock now wants to leave for South Africa on Monday afternoon.
What does the day bring?
Is the Wagner boss already in Belarus, will he travel to Minsk later – or will Progoschin resist being banished into exile? Details about the reasons that led to the rapid de-escalation of the mercenary uprising are also expected on Sunday.