Yevgeny Prigozhin’s march stopped 200 km from Moscow. After months of increasingly fierce criticism of military institutions, Wagner boss addressed the challenge directly to Vladimir Putin, invading Russian territory with his militias seemingly and unbelievably unopposed. Until he announced his withdrawal in the evening “to avoid a Russian bloodbath”.

It was a dramatic day for Russia and the world, as the country looked poised to plunge into civil war. In a speech to the nation this morning, the Kremlin chief described Prigozhin’s actions as a “stab in the back” of troops fighting in Ukraine. While the secret services accused him of instigating an “armed civil war”. He didn’t say exactly what he wanted, but few believe in individual action, while several observers say they are convinced a political showdown is at stake in which Prigozhin is a mere pawn.

ANSA. it

Trucks and Armored Vehicles on City Streets (ANSA)

After last night accusing the Moscow army of bombing his men’s positions, the Wagner boss announced this morning that he had captured and taken possession of the city of Rostov-on-Don, the main center near the Ukrainian border, without firing a hit at the airport, military headquarters and the internal intelligence agency FSB. The situation became increasingly dramatic as the hours passed, as local authorities announced an advance north by just over 20,000 Wagner militiamen, with no one intervening. First the Voronezh province, then the Lipetsk province, about 450 kilometers south of Moscow. In the evening, when the capital now seemed to be in sight, things turned around.

ANSA agency

A video released by Gray Zone, a Telegram channel close to the Wagner Group, shows Yevgeny Prigozhin in Rostov-on-Don holding talks with Colonel-General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister (ANSA).

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko negotiated “all day and in agreement with Putin”, whereby Wagner’s boss would receive “absolutely advantageous and acceptable guarantees” in exchange for the departure of his men. With Prigozhin himself, who immediately announced the U-turn and the return of the militiamen to their base camps in the south of the country. Guarantees, later announced by the Kremlin itself, which translate into assurances that Wagner’s fighters will not be prosecuted and that the criminal investigation into Prigozhin, who, according to the Kremlin, which was keen to clarify, will again travel to Belarus, will be dropped how that will happen. The failed uprising will “in no way affect” the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

ANSA agency

A large oil depot is on fire in Voronezh. According to the governor of the region Alexander Gusev, quoted by Tass (ANSA)

Putin appeared on television for just five minutes this morning, accusing his (former?) ally of “betraying” personal ambitions. “All those who have chosen the path of treason will be punished and held accountable,” warned the president, apparently alluding to the possible role of others than Prigozhin. The latter had replied that Putin was “deeply wrong” and warned that none of his men would capitulate. Subsequently, some websites spread rumors that Putin had fled Moscow, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov flatly denied them.

Authorities blocked Wagner’s social media accounts, but not on Telegram, where Prigozhin continued to publish his proclamations undisturbed. Not against Putin personally, but against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov. While Chechen commander Ramzan Kadyrov assured that he was ready to lend his forces to “crush” the uprising. As the day progressed, nervousness grew in Moscow regarding Wagner’s possible arrival. Police forces were deployed nervously in city centers while videos broadcast on Telegram channels showed armored vehicles entering the capital from the south. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin called on the population to limit travel and announced that Monday would be a day off. The State Department instead reported that Russia warned Western countries against exploiting the crisis to “achieve their Russophobic goals” and reiterated that the operation in Ukraine is ongoing and that “all goals will be achieved.” Putin thanked Lukashenko again for the mediation and “for the work done”. .

After the results of these elections were known, the minority Kosovo Serbs opposed the inclusion of Kosovar Albanian mayors in four northern municipalities and protested daily outside local town halls.

In Belgrade, the Director of the Kosovo Government Office, Petar Petkovic, accused Pristina of disinformation and fraud to continue with daily provocations to foment conflict and “trample any possibility of dialogue and normalization”.

As Petkovic said at a press conference, with the increasing concentration of special police officers in the north, Pristina wants to create pretexts for new arbitrary arrests and intimidate the population.

He also called Kosovar Prime Minister, nationalist Albin Kurti, “a madman who wants to set fire not only to the north but also to the region” and accused him of making fun of the European Union (EU), which called for an immediate de-escalation last Thursday.

For his part, Kosovar Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla assured that on Friday in the town of Zvecani (north), where Serbs make up the majority population, police found a car with numerous weapons, explosives and ammunition, allegedly intended for armed actions against Kosovar institutions .

According to the RTK portal, Svecla accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic of attempts to destabilize the region, while the director of the government office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, accused Pristina of “misinformation and deception in order to cause conflict and trample on everyone”. Possibility of dialogue and normalization”.

Last week the Belgrade government ordered the arrest of three Kosovo police officers, arrests Pristina viewed as “kidnappings”.

Since then, the Kosovan executive has banned the import of Serbian goods into the territory.

In this regard, the EU is demanding from Pristina that the mayors keep their positions in other buildings until new elections are held, in which the Serbs participate unconditionally.

She also demands the withdrawal of the Kosovar special police from the town halls and the surrounding areas and the simultaneous withdrawal of the Serb demonstrators. Meanwhile, it is demanding that Serbia release the three Kosovan police officers.

The EU has so far tried unsuccessfully to mediate in a difficult normalization dialogue between Serbia and its former province, which proclaimed its independence in 2008, without this being recognized by Belgrade or part of the international community.

rgh/ehl

© via Portal/Oceangate Expeditions

The crash to the bottom of the sea near the Titanic claimed five lives. But who were the men paying $250,000 a head for a ride to death?

The fate of the “Titan” hung in the balance for four days. Numerous search teams with boats, planes, sonar and robotic submarines were looking for the five passengers of the “Titan”, which had problems on the way to the sinking of the Titanic, and contact was suddenly lost.

Since late Thursday night, it has been clear that the submersible had a complete failure near the wreck. It is likely that an implosion or explosion destroyed the submersible and killed its passengers.

➤ Read more: US Navy knew of the fatal end of “Titan” since Sunday

Among others on board was the head of Oceangate, Titan’s operating company, stockton rush. The American businessman founded the company in 2009 with the aim of offering shipwreck diving expeditions. The descendant of two of America’s founding fathers had previously served as a pilot.

© Image: APA/AFP/OceanGate Expeditions/HANDOOUT / APA/AFP/OceanGate Expeditions/HANDOOUT

Rush’s company Oceangate began taking paying customers to the Titanic wreck in 2021. Among others was the Munich businessman Arthur Loibl 2021 on board with a mission. He spoke about his trip and called the situation “absolutely cruel”.

And: “You have to take into account that they are in a very small space, the body has human needs. They certainly don’t have food or drink with them for 96 hours and then the mental stress (…)”.

The British businessman and adventurer was among the passengers Hamish Harding. Like Rush, the Briton was also a businessman and a pilot. One of his first business achievements was a private airline that operated flights between South America and Antarctica.

Harding himself has been to the South Pole several times, taking American astronauts there, among others. Buzz Aldrin accompanied. With this action, Aldrin set a record. At 86, he was the oldest person to reach the South Pole.

deep sea experience

The Titan cruise wasn’t Harding’s first underwater experience. In 2021 the British dove with them Victor Vescovo in a two-man submarine to Challenger Deep, the deepest point in the Mariana Trench and therefore on land.

Harding not only traveled deep, but also to great heights. In 2022 he was part of the crew of “new pastor“-Space company rocket BlueOrigin. On June 4, 2022, a good year before his death, he traveled into space on a rocket.

Hamish Harding aboard an airplane. The British businessman took his pilot’s license at the age of 19.

© Photo: Jannicke Mikkelsen via Portal/Jannicke Mikkelsen

Harding has also been active as an animal rights activist, and in September 2022 he organized a custom Boeing 747-400 to transport eight wild cheetahs from Namibia to India to support the reintroduction of the cheetah to India. Cheetahs have been extinct there since 1947.

investor and philanthropist

Also on board the “Titan” was Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and your son Suleman. Dawood has been involved in several companies, including two of his own.

Shahzada Dawood (right) and her son Suleman

© Image: APA/AFP/DAWOOD HERCULES CORPORATION/HANDOUT / APA/AFP/DAWOOD HERCULES CORPORATION/HANDOUT

The science enthusiast was also a member of the advisory board of the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intellicence). The SETI Institute searches for signs of extraterrestrial life with numerous telescopes. According to the Chron, the 48-year-old is one of the richest men in Pakistan.

Dawood is survived by his wife and one daughter.

The fifth passenger who died is the French deep-sea explorer and Titanic expert. Paul Henry Nargeolet. The Frenchman began his career at the age of 18 in the French Navy, where he served as commander of a diving unit for removing sea mines and later as ship captain and submarine commander.

In 1987, he carried out the first Titanic salvage mission with the two submarine projects Nautile and Cyana. In 1993 he discovered the ship La Lune, which sank in 1664, off Toulon.

© Image: APA/AFP/JOEL SAGET / APA/AFP/JOEL SAGET

30 dives on the Titanic

The French led six sinking expeditions in the North Atlantic. As a submarine leader, he made 30 dives on the Titanic and oversaw the rescue of more than 5,000 objects.

In 2010, he helped search for the flight recorder for the crashed Air France Flight 447.

( kurier.at, kek ) | 06/23/2023, 08:09 am

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Gruppe Wagner takes control of the Russian city of RostovonDon with tanks. After an agreement with Putin brokered by Lukashenko (Belarus), they withdrew. 24 June 2023.| Photo: EFE/EPO/STRINGER

According to news agencies, the Wagner Group, a private mercenary company that staged an armed uprising in Russia this Saturday (24), has begun withdrawing its troops from the city of RostovonDon after reaching an agreement with the country’s authorities . Russian.

The Wagner militiamen have already left the territory of the Russian army headquarters in the city, which they seized this Saturday, “without a shot being fired,” according to the group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

According to the newspaper Kommersant, the citizens gathered to say goodbye to the mercenaries.

“Thank you for coming here today. I finally started to believe in this country,” a RostovonDon resident told Wagner militia officers, the newspaper said.

Locals shouted “Wagner”, applauded and took photos with the paramilitary team who left the city, the newspaper added. The withdrawal of fighters from the RostovonDon mercenary group comes less than two hours after Prigozhin announced Wagner would return to his bases to avoid bloodshed in Russia.

Prigozhin made this statement when Wagner Group forces were about 200 kilometers from Moscow and after reaching an agreement with Russian authorities thanks to the mediation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The terms of the agreement have not yet been announced.