The latest on the aftermath of the armed uprising launched by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin:
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A former CIA director warned the leader of a failed Russian revolt on Sunday to “be very careful around open windows.”
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, retired General David Petraeus appeared to be referring to the number of prominent Russians who have died in mysterious circumstances, including falling windows, since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 arrived.
As part of the deal for Yevgeny Prigozhin to stop the march of his Wagner mercenaries on Moscow, he agreed to go into exile in neighboring Belarus, whose leader is a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Prigozhin kept his life but lost his Wagner group,” said Petraeus. “And he should be very careful around open windows in his new environment in Belarus, where he’s going.”
Among the dead, who died in unclear circumstances, was the CEO of Russia’s largest private oil company, who criticized Russia’s military action in Ukraine. In September last year, he fell out of a hospital window.
The Kremlin has taken systematic action against war critics, so Prigozhin’s quick pardon seemed to show Putin’s weakness. But many of those who opposed or betrayed Putin died months or years later, some even after leaving Russia.
Prigozhin has sharply criticized the way the Russian military has been conducting the war, going even further on Friday by calling Putin’s justification for the invasion a lie. Prigozhin accused the military of misleading Putin and Russian society by falsely claiming that Ukraine and NATO were planning an attack on Russia.
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President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone call Sunday, a day after an aborted insurgency by a mercenary group in Russia weakened President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy wrote on his website and in his Telegram that they had discussed “the course of hostilities and the processes taking place in Russia” and urged to put more pressure on Russia to restore Ukraine’s borders.
“Yesterday’s events exposed the weakness of Putin’s regime,” Zelenskyi told Biden.
The White House said the two leaders discussed Ukraine’s counteroffensive and Biden reiterated steadfast US support, including through continued security, economic and humanitarian assistance.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier Sunday that the attempted insurgency and now-exiled Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “further cracks the Russian facade.”
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MAIN DEVELOPMENTS:
The exile of the Russian mercenary leader ends the uprising but leaves questions about Putin’s power
The deal with Belarus to take in the leader of the Russian rebellion puts him in an even more repressive country
The mercenary boss, who called for an uprising against the Russian generals, has long ties to Putin
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the attempted insurgency and now-exiled Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “further cracks the Russian facade.”
Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, the top US diplomat stressed that this was an unfolding story and that it would take time to see the long-term impact of the now-aborted Wagner troops’ march on Moscow estimate, but said it would mean even more trouble for Russia’s leaders.
“We know that Putin has much more to answer for in the coming weeks and months,” he said.
Asked whether the US was prepared for a possible loss of power by Putin and whether there were concerns about the security of nuclear weapons from their strategic rival, Blinken said: “We always prepare for all eventualities.”
“We have seen no change in Russia’s nuclear stance,” he added. “Nothing has changed for us. But we will monitor this very, very closely.”
Blinken declined to contact US intelligence about whether Putin is in Moscow and declined to give details of diplomatic talks between Washington and Russia over the past few days.
“We had some discussions with the Russians over the weekend to make sure they are aware of their responsibilities when it comes to keeping our personnel safe in Russia,” he said.
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Russian troops deployed to protect the capital withdrew on Sunday after mercenary troops retreated en route to Moscow.
After calling for an armed uprising to overthrow Russia’s defense minister, mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters appeared to seize control of Russia’s military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, which oversees fighting in Ukraine.
They then advanced largely unhindered toward Moscow. Russian media reported shooting down several helicopters and a military communications plane. The Department of Defense did not comment.
They were only stopped by an agreement to send Prigozhin to neighboring Belarus, which has backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The charges against him for instigating an armed uprising will be dropped, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, and Prigozhin ordered his troops to return to their camps.
Moscow had prepared for the arrival of Wagner’s troops by setting up checkpoints of armored vehicles and troops on the southern outskirts of the city.
There was little sign in Moscow on Sunday that the counter-terrorism alert was rolled out after Prigozhin began his short-lived insurgency, and nominally remained in place.
On a sunny day, crowds poured through the Russian capital’s downtown and sidewalk cafes were packed with customers. Traffic had returned to normal and roadblocks and checkpoints were removed.
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A senior Russian diplomat flew to Beijing on Sunday for talks with the Chinese government, a day after a Russian mercenary commander’s uprising fizzled out.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to discuss “international and regional issues of common interest,” according to a one-line statement from China’s foreign ministry on its website.
Rudenko’s visit comes after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, ordered his troops to march on Moscow before agreeing with the Kremlin on Saturday to go into exile and announce the withdrawal.
China has not officially commented on the crisis in Russia.
Russia and China have maintained close ties throughout Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which China refused to condemn.
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There was little sign in Moscow on Sunday that the counter-terrorism alert was rolled out after Yevgeny Prigozhin began his uprising and remained nominally in effect.
On a sunny day, crowds poured through the Russian capital’s downtown and sidewalk cafes were packed with customers. Traffic had returned to normal and roadblocks and checkpoints were removed.
The “anti-terrorist regime” proclaimed by the authorities in Moscow and the surrounding area made it possible to restrict freedoms and increase security.
Presenters of state-controlled TV channels viewed the deal to end the crisis as a testament to President Vladimir Putin’s wisdom and broadcast footage of Wagner Group troops withdrawing from Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia. People in Rostov-on-Don interviewed by Channel 1 television praised Putin for defusing the crisis.
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There are still no reports of the arrival of mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in Belarus after he struck an agreement with the Kremlin to flee into exile and ended his uprising.
Many other questions remained unanswered Sunday morning, including whether Prigozhin would join the exile with troops from his Wagner group and what role, if any, he could play there.
Prigozhin, who sent out a series of audio and video updates during his revolt, has remained silent since the Kremlin announced that a deal had been negotiated allowing him to complete his march towards Moscow and leave Russia.
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The US-based think-tank Institute for the Study of War says the Kremlin faces “a profoundly unstable balance” following the agreement of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner group to end the insurgency.
The institute said the optics that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko played a role in stopping a military advance on Moscow was “humiliating” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It said that “the deal negotiated by Lukashenko is a short-term solution, not a long-term solution, and Prigozhin’s rebellion has exposed serious weaknesses” in the Kremlin and the Russian Defense Ministry. The Kremlin’s apparent surprise at Prigozhin’s rebellion also does not bode well for the FSB, Russia’s domestic intelligence agency, she added.
The ISW noted that Prigozhin “consistently escalated” his rhetoric against the Russian Defense Ministry before beginning his insurgency, “and Putin failed to contain that risk.”