Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- The short-lived rebellion by Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin has forced a closer examination of Putin’s hold on power. Russia’s political system is “showing its fragilities, and the military power is cracking,” said Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry published a video Monday claiming to show Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspecting a command post in Ukraine. It was not immediately clear when or where the footage was recorded.
- The brief rebellion in Russia “raises profound questions” about the country’s stability, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
- Australia announced a new assistance package to Ukraine that includes 70 military vehicles and ammunition. The package, worth 110 million Australian dollars, or about $75 million, “demonstrates that Ukraine can count on Australia,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
More live updates here.
- The short-lived rebellion by Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin has forced a closer examination of Putin’s hold on power. Russia’s political system is “showing its fragilities, and the military power is cracking,” said Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry published a video Monday claiming to show Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspecting a command post in Ukraine. It was not immediately clear when or where the footage was recorded.
- The brief rebellion in Russia “raises profound questions” about the country’s stability, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
- Australia announced a new assistance package to Ukraine that includes 70 military vehicles and ammunition. The package, worth 110 million Australian dollars, or about $75 million, “demonstrates that Ukraine can count on Australia,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
More live updates here.
U.S. spies learned in mid-June Prigozhin was planning armed action in Russia
U.S. spy agencies picked up intelligence in mid-June indicating Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin was planning armed action against the Russian defense establishment — which he has long accused of bungling the war in Ukraine — and urgently informed the White House and other government agencies so they were not caught off guard, several U.S. officials said Saturday.
The exact nature and timing of Prigozhin’s plans were not clear until shortly before his stunning takeover of a military command and tank run toward Moscow on Friday and Saturday, officials said. But “there were enough signals to be able to tell the leadership … that something was up,” said one U.S. official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. “So I think they were ready for it.”
Read the full story here.
U.S. spy agencies picked up intelligence in mid-June indicating Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin was planning armed action against the Russian defense establishment — which he has long accused of bungling the war in Ukraine — and urgently informed the White House and other government agencies so they were not caught off guard, several U.S. officials said Saturday.
The exact nature and timing of Prigozhin’s plans were not clear until shortly before his stunning takeover of a military command and tank run toward Moscow on Friday and Saturday, officials said. But “there were enough signals to be able to tell the leadership … that something was up,” said one U.S. official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. “So I think they were ready for it.”
Read the full story here.
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Russian leaders try to reassert control after mercenary rebellion
RIGA, Latvia — Russia’s embattled leadership tried to demonstrate control on Monday after the bruising, chaotic mutiny by Yevgeniy Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary group, airing a video of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visiting a command post, while the Kremlin released video of a recorded address by President Vladimir Putin to young engineers.
It was not clear when the video address by Putin was recorded, leaving questions about his whereabouts still swirling as Russians grappled with the aftermath of the crisis. Other key figures in the crisis remained out of sight.
Shoigu’s exact whereabouts and the timing of the video released by the Ministry of Defense also were not clear. Russian media reported that it was prerecorded, likely on Friday before the Wagner rebellion.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — Russia’s embattled leadership tried to demonstrate control on Monday after the bruising, chaotic mutiny by Yevgeniy Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary group, airing a video of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visiting a command post, while the Kremlin released video of a recorded address by President Vladimir Putin to young engineers.
It was not clear when the video address by Putin was recorded, leaving questions about his whereabouts still swirling as Russians grappled with the aftermath of the crisis. Other key figures in the crisis remained out of sight.
Shoigu’s exact whereabouts and the timing of the video released by the Ministry of Defense also were not clear. Russian media reported that it was prerecorded, likely on Friday before the Wagner rebellion.
Read the full story here.
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Officials question whether truce will hold in Kremlin, Wagner standoff
As the dust settled on the most serious challenge in decades to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authority, Washington and its allies struggled to make sense of a head-spinning series of historic events that saw mercenary forces race up a highway to within 120 miles of Moscow on Saturday, then abruptly turn back after their leader, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, agreed to stand down and go to Belarus for an uncertain exile.
On Sunday, intelligence officials and diplomats — unsure if they had just witnessed an aborted coup or a thwarted mutiny — were left to parse official Kremlin statements and re-watch blurry videos posted on Telegram, the social network that Prigozhin has used to try to convince the Russian people that the war in Ukraine has been a strategic disaster led by incompetent commanders and political sycophants.
Read the full the story here.
As the dust settled on the most serious challenge in decades to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authority, Washington and its allies struggled to make sense of a head-spinning series of historic events that saw mercenary forces race up a highway to within 120 miles of Moscow on Saturday, then abruptly turn back after their leader, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, agreed to stand down and go to Belarus for an uncertain exile.
On Sunday, intelligence officials and diplomats — unsure if they had just witnessed an aborted coup or a thwarted mutiny — were left to parse official Kremlin statements and re-watch blurry videos posted on Telegram, the social network that Prigozhin has used to try to convince the Russian people that the war in Ukraine has been a strategic disaster led by incompetent commanders and political sycophants.
Read the full the story here.
Wagner Group chief Prigozhin resurfaces, saying mercenaries rebelled to fight being absorbed into regular military
Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who sent a convoy of mercenary fighters toward Moscow over the weekend in an extraordinary challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authority, posted an 11-minute audio statement on Monday claiming he launched the rebellion after Russian forces killed 30 of his fighters. They were his first remarks since accepting a deal to avoid prosecution and withdrawing his fighters on Saturday.
The success of Wagner’s rapid advance toward Moscow suggests that the group should have been responsible for the drive to take Kyiv in the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Prigozhin said.
Prigozhin did not reveal his location. He did not discuss his reported acceptance of exile in Belarus.
More live updates here.
Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who sent a convoy of mercenary fighters toward Moscow over the weekend in an extraordinary challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authority, posted an 11-minute audio statement on Monday claiming he launched the rebellion after Russian forces killed 30 of his fighters. They were his first remarks since accepting a deal to avoid prosecution and withdrawing his fighters on Saturday.
The success of Wagner’s rapid advance toward Moscow suggests that the group should have been responsible for the drive to take Kyiv in the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Prigozhin said.
Prigozhin did not reveal his location. He did not discuss his reported acceptance of exile in Belarus.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has paid tribute to “fallen heroes-pilots” in his first public address since the mutiny led by Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin over the weekend. He lauded “the courage and self-sacrifice” of Russian military pilots who were killed while countering the Wagner rebellion.
- Prigozhin said the rebellion was a “march of justice” after Russian forces killed 30 of his fighters, claiming that most Wagner members had refused to sign contracts with Russia’s Defense Ministry.
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of “profound questions” about Russia’s stability, saying Wagner mutiny highlighted “cracks” in Putin’s military regime.
- President Zelensky visited front-line troops in the Donetsk region on Monday. He touted “advances on all sides” against Russian defenses.
- Ukrainian forces recaptured the southeastern village of Rivnopil from Russian forces, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said.
More live updates here.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has paid tribute to “fallen heroes-pilots” in his first public address since the mutiny led by Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin over the weekend. He lauded “the courage and self-sacrifice” of Russian military pilots who were killed while countering the Wagner rebellion.
- Prigozhin said the rebellion was a “march of justice” after Russian forces killed 30 of his fighters, claiming that most Wagner members had refused to sign contracts with Russia’s Defense Ministry.
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of “profound questions” about Russia’s stability, saying Wagner mutiny highlighted “cracks” in Putin’s military regime.
- President Zelensky visited front-line troops in the Donetsk region on Monday. He touted “advances on all sides” against Russian defenses.
- Ukrainian forces recaptured the southeastern village of Rivnopil from Russian forces, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said.
More live updates here.
Belarusian dictator Lukashenko’s unlikely cameo as mediator with Wagner
A weekend of chaos in Russia yielded few winners. Russian President Vladimir Putin is politically wounded, mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin is in serious trouble and the rest of the world has been left shaken by the sight of a nuclear power appearing to teeter haplessly on the brink.
But if there is one person who seems to have had a good rebellion, it is Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, a Putin ally who suddenly took center stage, claiming credit for brokering a truce and saving Russia from an even bigger mess.
As the world waits to see what happens next, questions about Lukashenko’s unusual cameo grow. Though much is still uncertain — including just how big his role was — what is clear, analysts said, is that the dictator will use this moment to try to burnish his image and cement his status as a Putin loyalist par excellence.
Read the full story here.
A weekend of chaos in Russia yielded few winners. Russian President Vladimir Putin is politically wounded, mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin is in serious trouble and the rest of the world has been left shaken by the sight of a nuclear power appearing to teeter haplessly on the brink.
But if there is one person who seems to have had a good rebellion, it is Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, a Putin ally who suddenly took center stage, claiming credit for brokering a truce and saving Russia from an even bigger mess.
As the world waits to see what happens next, questions about Lukashenko’s unusual cameo grow. Though much is still uncertain — including just how big his role was — what is clear, analysts said, is that the dictator will use this moment to try to burnish his image and cement his status as a Putin loyalist par excellence.
Read the full story here.
Putin rules by showing strength. Russia’s crisis exposed his weakness.
As the mercenary commander whose soldiers of fortune had fought alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine led his menacing march toward Moscow, President Vladimir Putin accused the mutineers of “treason.”
But after the Kremlin blinked, proffering a desperate deal to halt an advance that had closed to within 125 miles of the Russian capital, the former Putin ally Yevgeniy Prigozhin found himself not condemned as a traitor, but hailed by an outpouring of Russians as a hero.
“We’re rooting for you!” exclaimed a woman in Rostov-on-Don, home to Russia’s southern command, taken Saturday by Prigozhin’s fighters unopposed. The 62-year-old warlord, who heads Russia’s murky Wagner Group, rolled down the window of his black SUV to receive well-wishers and submit to selfies.
“Good health!” said one man, verified videos show. “We support you!” said another.
Read the full story here.
As the mercenary commander whose soldiers of fortune had fought alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine led his menacing march toward Moscow, President Vladimir Putin accused the mutineers of “treason.”
But after the Kremlin blinked, proffering a desperate deal to halt an advance that had closed to within 125 miles of the Russian capital, the former Putin ally Yevgeniy Prigozhin found himself not condemned as a traitor, but hailed by an outpouring of Russians as a hero.
“We’re rooting for you!” exclaimed a woman in Rostov-on-Don, home to Russia’s southern command, taken Saturday by Prigozhin’s fighters unopposed. The 62-year-old warlord, who heads Russia’s murky Wagner Group, rolled down the window of his black SUV to receive well-wishers and submit to selfies.
“Good health!” said one man, verified videos show. “We support you!” said another.
Read the full story here.
Wagner rift adds to Russian weaknesses amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive
As the fratricidal spat between Wagner Group chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin and Russia’s top military brass spilled over into open conflict over the weekend — sparking a march toward Moscow, an apparent mutiny of the mercenaries and a subsequent exile to Belarus — the war in Ukraine went on pretty much as usual.
At least five people were killed Saturday when debris from a Russian missile hit a building in Kyiv. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s counteroffensive continued in the south, where Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Monday that Ukraine had liberated another 6.5 square miles of land from Russian occupation.
But while the chaos engulfing Wagner has not had an immediate battlefield impact on Ukraine’s counteroffensive, analysts say that in the longer term, the dispute can only hurt Russia.
Read the full story here.
As the fratricidal spat between Wagner Group chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin and Russia’s top military brass spilled over into open conflict over the weekend — sparking a march toward Moscow, an apparent mutiny of the mercenaries and a subsequent exile to Belarus — the war in Ukraine went on pretty much as usual.
At least five people were killed Saturday when debris from a Russian missile hit a building in Kyiv. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s counteroffensive continued in the south, where Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Monday that Ukraine had liberated another 6.5 square miles of land from Russian occupation.
But while the chaos engulfing Wagner has not had an immediate battlefield impact on Ukraine’s counteroffensive, analysts say that in the longer term, the dispute can only hurt Russia.
Read the full story here.
On this part of the eastern front, Russia is still on the attack
KREMINNA FOREST, Ukraine — For five days, the attacking Russians threw everything they had at the Ukrainian brigade defending a patch of forest here on the eastern front — mortar, artillery, flamethrowers and tank fire — mowing down whatever stood in their way. By the sixth day, bodies littered the smoldering terrain. Only a scorched field and blackened tree stumps remained.
“We had to retreat,” said an infantryman, who goes by the call sign “Master,” describing the battle earlier this month. “It was very challenging for the infantry to hold the front, because we were being pushed very hard by the Russians, without adequate artillery cover.”
The forest, just west of Kreminna, a Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, is now an epicenter of some of the war’s fiercest fighting.
Read the full story here.
KREMINNA FOREST, Ukraine — For five days, the attacking Russians threw everything they had at the Ukrainian brigade defending a patch of forest here on the eastern front — mortar, artillery, flamethrowers and tank fire — mowing down whatever stood in their way. By the sixth day, bodies littered the smoldering terrain. Only a scorched field and blackened tree stumps remained.
“We had to retreat,” said an infantryman, who goes by the call sign “Master,” describing the battle earlier this month. “It was very challenging for the infantry to hold the front, because we were being pushed very hard by the Russians, without adequate artillery cover.”
The forest, just west of Kreminna, a Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, is now an epicenter of some of the war’s fiercest fighting.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed Tuesday that Yevgeniy Prigozhin has arrived in Belarus, the country’s state-run news agency reported.
- Security guarantees for Prigozhin have been provided as promised, Lukashenko said at a ceremony with senior military officers, according to a state media report.
- Putin sought to bolster the image of his military on Tuesday, addressing dozens of military officers and soldiers who supposedly took part in quelling the mutiny.
- Putin sought to bolster the image of his military on Tuesday, addressing dozens of military officers and soldiers who supposedly took part in quelling the mutiny.
- Prigozhin called the short-lived rebellion a “march of justice” after he said Russian forces killed 30 of his fighters.
- Latvia and Lithuania urged NATO to fortify its eastern borders in response to the Wagner Group’s revolt and Prigozhin’s reported relocation to Belarus.
More live updates here.
- Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed Tuesday that Yevgeniy Prigozhin has arrived in Belarus, the country’s state-run news agency reported.
- Security guarantees for Prigozhin have been provided as promised, Lukashenko said at a ceremony with senior military officers, according to a state media report.
- Putin sought to bolster the image of his military on Tuesday, addressing dozens of military officers and soldiers who supposedly took part in quelling the mutiny.
- Putin sought to bolster the image of his military on Tuesday, addressing dozens of military officers and soldiers who supposedly took part in quelling the mutiny.
- Prigozhin called the short-lived rebellion a “march of justice” after he said Russian forces killed 30 of his fighters.
- Latvia and Lithuania urged NATO to fortify its eastern borders in response to the Wagner Group’s revolt and Prigozhin’s reported relocation to Belarus.
More live updates here.
Lukashenko claims he persuaded Putin not to kill Wagner boss Prigozhin
RIGA, Latvia — When Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko tried to convince Yevgeniy Prigozhin to call off his rebellion against Moscow, the mercenary boss was “half-crazed,” Lukashenko said, pouring out obscenities for half an hour — and unaware, perhaps, that his life was at risk.
The swearing in their phone conversation Saturday “was 10 times more than normal,” Lukashenko said in remarkably frank comments during a meeting Tuesday with his generals. He claimed to have stopped Russian President Vladimir Putin from making a “harsh decision” — a suggestion that Putin planned to kill the Wagner Group chief. Lukashenko’s comments were published by Belarusian state media.
Prigozhin said he wanted to speak to Putin, Lukashenko said, and demanded that frequent targets of his ire be handed over to him. That wasn’t going to happen, Lukashenko said.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — When Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko tried to convince Yevgeniy Prigozhin to call off his rebellion against Moscow, the mercenary boss was “half-crazed,” Lukashenko said, pouring out obscenities for half an hour — and unaware, perhaps, that his life was at risk.
The swearing in their phone conversation Saturday “was 10 times more than normal,” Lukashenko said in remarkably frank comments during a meeting Tuesday with his generals. He claimed to have stopped Russian President Vladimir Putin from making a “harsh decision” — a suggestion that Putin planned to kill the Wagner Group chief. Lukashenko’s comments were published by Belarusian state media.
Prigozhin said he wanted to speak to Putin, Lukashenko said, and demanded that frequent targets of his ire be handed over to him. That wasn’t going to happen, Lukashenko said.
Read the full story here.
A pro-Russian tide in Slovakia could threaten Europe’s unity on Ukraine
DUBNICA, Slovakia — Inside the hulking arms factory, dozens of workers delicately fit fuses inside the tips of the 155-millimeter artillery shells that are in insatiable demand in Ukraine’s war.
But even in this town, established around the arms industry before World War II broke out, the deliveries are divisive.
“It’s fuel on the flames,” said Samuel Prekop, 19, as he sat with his family in a nearby square, voicing objections shared by a growing majority of Slovaks.
Fanning polarization across Slovakia is Robert Fico, a socially conservative left-wing populist and two-time former prime minister, who has risen to the top of the polls once again while promising to end military aid to Ukraine and veto “pointless” European Union sanctions on Russia.
Read the full story here.
DUBNICA, Slovakia — Inside the hulking arms factory, dozens of workers delicately fit fuses inside the tips of the 155-millimeter artillery shells that are in insatiable demand in Ukraine’s war.
But even in this town, established around the arms industry before World War II broke out, the deliveries are divisive.
“It’s fuel on the flames,” said Samuel Prekop, 19, as he sat with his family in a nearby square, voicing objections shared by a growing majority of Slovaks.
Fanning polarization across Slovakia is Robert Fico, a socially conservative left-wing populist and two-time former prime minister, who has risen to the top of the polls once again while promising to end military aid to Ukraine and veto “pointless” European Union sanctions on Russia.
Read the full story here.
Rebellion shakes Russian elite’s faith in Putin’s strength
LONDON — The impact of the fiercest-ever challenge to Vladimir Putin’s 23-year presidency was still reverberating among Moscow’s elites Monday as questions swirled over whether the Russian president had, for a moment at least, lost control of the country.
When Putin addressed the nation on Monday for the first time since the chaos of this weekend’s armed rebellion, he thanked the population for displaying “unity and patriotism” which he said clearly demonstrated that “any attempt to cause internal turmoil was doomed to fail.”
But the armed insurrection by the leader of the Wagner mercenary group has shattered the carefully crafted myth that was the cornerstone of Putin’s presidency — that he represented stability and strength — and many in the upper reaches of Russian politics and business wonder whether he can recover from it. Some even suggested that a search for Putin’s successor could be underway.
Read the full story here.
LONDON — The impact of the fiercest-ever challenge to Vladimir Putin’s 23-year presidency was still reverberating among Moscow’s elites Monday as questions swirled over whether the Russian president had, for a moment at least, lost control of the country.
When Putin addressed the nation on Monday for the first time since the chaos of this weekend’s armed rebellion, he thanked the population for displaying “unity and patriotism” which he said clearly demonstrated that “any attempt to cause internal turmoil was doomed to fail.”
But the armed insurrection by the leader of the Wagner mercenary group has shattered the carefully crafted myth that was the cornerstone of Putin’s presidency — that he represented stability and strength — and many in the upper reaches of Russian politics and business wonder whether he can recover from it. Some even suggested that a search for Putin’s successor could be underway.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- At about 7:30 p.m. — peak dinner hour — an Iskander ballistic missile slammed through Ria’s roof, turning the restaurant into a mangled twist of metal frames, white canvas, and collapsed cement walls. At least 11 people were killed, including three children, authorities said, and at least 61 others were injured, including an 8-month-old baby.
- Russian forces shelled the eastern city of Chuhuiv on Wednesday morning, killing three people, Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synyehubov said.
- Ukraine has retaken 50 square miles in the country’s south from entrenched Russian forces, The Post reported.
- The Kreminna Forest in the Luhansk region is now one of the most dangerous spots on the front line, with the fighting driven by Russia.
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed Tuesday that Prigozhin arrived in Belarus, the country’s state-run news agency reported.
More live updates here.
- At about 7:30 p.m. — peak dinner hour — an Iskander ballistic missile slammed through Ria’s roof, turning the restaurant into a mangled twist of metal frames, white canvas, and collapsed cement walls. At least 11 people were killed, including three children, authorities said, and at least 61 others were injured, including an 8-month-old baby.
- Russian forces shelled the eastern city of Chuhuiv on Wednesday morning, killing three people, Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synyehubov said.
- Ukraine has retaken 50 square miles in the country’s south from entrenched Russian forces, The Post reported.
- The Kreminna Forest in the Luhansk region is now one of the most dangerous spots on the front line, with the fighting driven by Russia.
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed Tuesday that Prigozhin arrived in Belarus, the country’s state-run news agency reported.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare public appearance, traveling to the southern city of Derbent in an apparent bid to demonstrate the strength of his support. State media outlets reported that Putin received an enthusiastic reception from residents.
- In eastern Ukraine, at least three children are among 12 people killed when a Russian missile struck a popular pizzeria in Kramatorsk during dinner time, Ukrainian officials said.
- Ukraine’s intelligence agency said it arrested a local gas transportation company employee on charges of aiding in the Kramatorsk attack. The employee is accused of surreptitiously filming the restaurant and its vicinity for the Kremlin’s security services.
- Russia’s parliament gave preliminary approval to levy a one-time windfall tax on big businesses, Reuters reported. The move is aimed at boosting government coffers by approximately $3.5 billion as Moscow struggles to finance its invasion.
More live updates here.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare public appearance, traveling to the southern city of Derbent in an apparent bid to demonstrate the strength of his support. State media outlets reported that Putin received an enthusiastic reception from residents.
- In eastern Ukraine, at least three children are among 12 people killed when a Russian missile struck a popular pizzeria in Kramatorsk during dinner time, Ukrainian officials said.
- Ukraine’s intelligence agency said it arrested a local gas transportation company employee on charges of aiding in the Kramatorsk attack. The employee is accused of surreptitiously filming the restaurant and its vicinity for the Kremlin’s security services.
- Russia’s parliament gave preliminary approval to levy a one-time windfall tax on big businesses, Reuters reported. The move is aimed at boosting government coffers by approximately $3.5 billion as Moscow struggles to finance its invasion.
More live updates here.
After Putin speech on deal with mercenaries, Russia confronts divisions
RIGA, Latvia — As Russian President Vladimir Putin extolled the nation’s “unity and patriotism” and attempted to project a military consolidated behind him after a failed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries, Russians on Tuesday continued to confront jarring questions about divisions in the security forces and how the president allowed the country to reach a risk of civil war.
The Kremlin on Tuesday went into overdrive to try to project unity and reassert Putin’s strength while moving to diminish Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the former Putin ally who led the rebellion. But the official explanations for why Prigozhin was allowed to escape without punishment looked unusually thin, highlighting new doubts about Putin’s strength and competence in a crisis.
Putin on Tuesday met with a group of military and security officers following a late-night meeting on Monday with leaders of all the major security agencies.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — As Russian President Vladimir Putin extolled the nation’s “unity and patriotism” and attempted to project a military consolidated behind him after a failed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries, Russians on Tuesday continued to confront jarring questions about divisions in the security forces and how the president allowed the country to reach a risk of civil war.
The Kremlin on Tuesday went into overdrive to try to project unity and reassert Putin’s strength while moving to diminish Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the former Putin ally who led the rebellion. But the official explanations for why Prigozhin was allowed to escape without punishment looked unusually thin, highlighting new doubts about Putin’s strength and competence in a crisis.
Putin on Tuesday met with a group of military and security officers following a late-night meeting on Monday with leaders of all the major security agencies.
Read the full story here.
After Wagner mutiny, Navalny asks why he, not Prigozhin, is jailed
Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is being tried on “extremism” charges in a case that could add decades to his sentence, sat in a courtroom following this weekend’s Wagner mercenary rebellion. He stared, thunderstruck, at news images of the crisis that his lawyers showed him.
Accused of trying to overthrow Russian authorities himself, Navalny was stunned that Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who sent columns of fighters and tanks rolling toward Moscow and whose fighters shot down six Russian helicopters and a plane, had escaped insurrection charges, thanks to a deal with President Vladimir Putin.
As the rebels sped toward Moscow on Saturday and Prigozhin released audio messages declaring that he and his men were “ready to die,” and would shoot any forces resisting them, Navalny was in a grim prison colony with no access, he said, to the news either on radio or television or even from other inmates.
Read the full story here.
Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is being tried on “extremism” charges in a case that could add decades to his sentence, sat in a courtroom following this weekend’s Wagner mercenary rebellion. He stared, thunderstruck, at news images of the crisis that his lawyers showed him.
Accused of trying to overthrow Russian authorities himself, Navalny was stunned that Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who sent columns of fighters and tanks rolling toward Moscow and whose fighters shot down six Russian helicopters and a plane, had escaped insurrection charges, thanks to a deal with President Vladimir Putin.
As the rebels sped toward Moscow on Saturday and Prigozhin released audio messages declaring that he and his men were “ready to die,” and would shoot any forces resisting them, Navalny was in a grim prison colony with no access, he said, to the news either on radio or television or even from other inmates.
Read the full story here.
Prigozhin’s rebellion raises questions about Wagner’s African footprint
DAKAR, Senegal — The aborted rebellion in Russia has brought unease to large swaths of Africa where leaders who have turned to the Wagner mercenary group to bolster their hold on power now face the prospect that the private paramilitary organization could be weakened or even dismantled, according to experts on the region as well as Western officials and analysts.
The world’s attention has largely focused on the turbulence within Russia, where the aura of President Vladimir Putin is widely perceived to have been damaged by the short-lived insurrection of Wagner’s leader, Yevgeniy Prigozhin. But a Kremlin crackdown on Wagner would also have far-reaching consequences in Africa and the Middle East, where Wagner supplied lethal firepower to despots and strongmen while advancing Moscow’s international agenda.
Read the full story here.
DAKAR, Senegal — The aborted rebellion in Russia has brought unease to large swaths of Africa where leaders who have turned to the Wagner mercenary group to bolster their hold on power now face the prospect that the private paramilitary organization could be weakened or even dismantled, according to experts on the region as well as Western officials and analysts.
The world’s attention has largely focused on the turbulence within Russia, where the aura of President Vladimir Putin is widely perceived to have been damaged by the short-lived insurrection of Wagner’s leader, Yevgeniy Prigozhin. But a Kremlin crackdown on Wagner would also have far-reaching consequences in Africa and the Middle East, where Wagner supplied lethal firepower to despots and strongmen while advancing Moscow’s international agenda.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare public appearance as he met with residents of the southern city of Derbent on June 28.
- Ukraine’s intelligence agency said it arrested a local gas transportation company employee on charges of aiding in the Kramatorsk attack.
- Before his mutiny, Wagner chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin was told by Russian officials that his forces could no longer participate in the war, Duma defense committee chairman Andrei Kartapolov said Thursday.
- European leaders agreed at a Brussels summit to continue their “long-term” support for Ukraine.
- A Vatican delegation traveled to Moscow to meet with top Russian officials as part of Pope Francis’s efforts to promote “a much-wished-for peace,” the Vatican’s envoy to Moscow, Giovanni D’Aniello, said Thursday.
More live updates here.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare public appearance as he met with residents of the southern city of Derbent on June 28.
- Ukraine’s intelligence agency said it arrested a local gas transportation company employee on charges of aiding in the Kramatorsk attack.
- Before his mutiny, Wagner chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin was told by Russian officials that his forces could no longer participate in the war, Duma defense committee chairman Andrei Kartapolov said Thursday.
- European leaders agreed at a Brussels summit to continue their “long-term” support for Ukraine.
- A Vatican delegation traveled to Moscow to meet with top Russian officials as part of Pope Francis’s efforts to promote “a much-wished-for peace,” the Vatican’s envoy to Moscow, Giovanni D’Aniello, said Thursday.
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