It is entirely possible that only the end of Putin can put an end to the absurd war he has launched to engulf Ukraine and reclaim it in a Russian sphere of influence that had shrunk since the Soviet Union imploded in 1991. The ambition he showed The events experienced by the President of Russia in the destruction of Chechnya, in the clashes in Georgia, in the annexation of Crimea and in the underground war he has been waging in Donbass against Ukraine since 2014 found culminating in this full blown invasion by a European power that returned us to the bloodiest scenes of World War II.

But Putin’s plans were thwarted, and a lightning-fast occupation and conquest that had actually been planned failed on Ukrainian territory. The unexpected bravery of its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his army, with the unconditional and measured support of the West, and the weaknesses of his own military strategy, plunged the conflict into a protracted war that threatens to become a new focus of sustained armed conflicts such as those sweeping the Middle East shake. But a year and a half after attempting to rewrite Russia’s patriotic history, he now faces the greatest challenge of his adventure. And for the first time, the enemy is inside.

From the start it was clear that Ukraine alone could not stop the war, even with all the arms and aid it received from Europe and the United States. The patriotic commitment of the Ukrainian soldiers and the enormous international support, which cannot go any further in the face of a threatening nuclear power like Russia, were sufficient. Only if an internal element of disagreement arose could the artificial consensus that has been created in Russia around Putin and his war be jeopardized.

More information

Many brave Russians have tried. But many were imprisoned, thousands fled, and all saw the dissidents in jail see the enormous punishment they were receiving. For this reason, the challenge could only come from the regime. The war belongs to Putin and its continuation has always depended on his internal power. Because of this, the outbreak of this rebellion by the leader of the Wagner mercenary group is the first sign of internal dissent and may raise the most awaited question: Is it the beginning of the end?

Pulled from the poorest Russian prisons and often targeting local populations who saw their criminals, murderers or rapists go to the front like heroes in exchange for pardon, Prigozhin’s troops have reached their limits. Deployed as spearheads, in the very first front line, where the regular troops failed to arrive, Wagner’s men suffered the death and mutilation they themselves inflicted on the invaded Ukraine. They are criminals and behaved as such on the front lines. Russia will not be able to separate its image from that of these mercenaries. And for this reason it is all the more paradoxical that the most critical link in the chain is the one that is broken. But it is so.

Join EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without restrictions.

subscribe to

Prigozhin’s defiance, promising to reach Moscow to deal with Russia’s military high command and defense minister, will surely end in disaster. He and the Russian military establishment are two opposite sides of the same coin that are unlikely to meet. But his messages reach Russians, who are neither fully nor objectively informed, and will undermine a certain public opinion reluctant to internal betrayal. It will leave a dent. And it’s time to measure forces.

Coups and revolutions usually don’t have a single date. But as they measure their strength, as the front lines are laid bare, and as Zelensky and the West can only celebrate new signs of weakness, we can say that this Saturday a new page, a new chapter, was written in this cruel war. The beginning of the end, hopefully and without lives being saved, could be closer.

Follow all international information on Facebook and Twitteror in our weekly newsletter.

Subscribe to continue reading

Read without limits

In Venezuela, a man has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for kidnapping a woman and sexually abusing her for 31 years, the country’s attorney general said on Friday.

Matias Salazar was arrested in January 2020 and sentenced to “a term of 17 years and two months in prison” for “sexual assault, threats and psychological abuse,” Attorney General Tarek William Saab wrote on Twitter.

The man “held one of his victims captive for more than 30 years for sexual abuse,” he said.

The case, which shocked Guatemala to the core, erupted after a woman named Morella Leon fled her home in a village near Maracay, where she had been imprisoned for 31 years.

According to local media, she was forced to have sex in exchange for food and water.

Another woman, who dated Matias Salazar for 23 years and with whom she had a daughter, reported the man shortly after Ms Leon fled, accusing him of psychological abuse and demanding some deportation, local media reported. They claimed that the ex-companion had also been kidnapped.

Mr Saab gave no information on this other file.

The convict’s current wife told the press that she had not suffered any form of abuse.

EXCLUSIVE: How the ‘newest mom’ in Congress celebrates a year since the Roe vs. Wade ouster Republican Elise Stefanik reveals how her two-year-old son Sam showed the importance of protecting the ‘unborn’.

• “This is a historic moment for the American people,” Stefanik told
• Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of SBA Pro-Life America, said Stefanik is a strong “role model” and steadfast in her commitment to life
• Whoever is the next president of the United States in 2024 will be “most important” to the pro-life movement, says Dannenfelser

By Kelly Laco, Editor in Chief for Politics at

Published: 4:11 PM, June 24, 2023 | Updated: 5:06 PM, June 24, 2023

Republican Conference Chairwoman of the House Elise Stefanik is promoting Republicans’ commitment to protecting the sanctity of life a year after the Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which closed the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case was repealed.

“This is a historic moment for the American people,” Stefanik told during an exclusive interview Tuesday at the National Press Club ahead of her keynote address to the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America organization.

“As the youngest mother in Congress, I gave birth to my son Sam almost two years ago. “I know how important it is to stand up and protect the most precious and vulnerable among us, which is the unborn,” she said.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of SBA Pro-Life America, said Stefanik is a strong “role model” and steadfast in her commitment to life. The group supported Stefanik when she first ran for Congress in 2013 when she was “actually an unknown,” the top lawmaker added.

“This is a historic moment for the American people,” Stefanik told in an exclusive interview on Tuesday

Dannenfelser told that according to Dobbs, the “most important” event for the future of the pro-life movement is who will be elected “President of the United States” in 2024.

The upcoming debate period “is going to be a really important debate period on abortion,” the SBA list president continued.

“Whoever is in this Oval Office will be leading the country at a very important and sensitive moment for women and children, so may the best man or woman win,” she declared.

The SBA slate failed to provide explicit endorsement in the 2024 GOP primary and threatened to campaign against Trump — or any other presidential candidate — who does not support a 15-week abortion ban.

Stefanik, who became the first Republican leader to pledge her support to President Trump in 2024, says she still stands by him despite his arrest last week on 37 federal matters related to his alleged abuse of classified documents and obstruction of justice.

“I’m proud to support President Trump,” she told on Tuesday. “I’m proud that today’s Republican Party has such strong pro-life leaders at the federal level, at the state level, and of course, our presidential nominees.”

Stefanik said Republicans, who hold the majority in the House of Representatives, have a “real chance” to show their “commitment to life.”

She then went on to criticize the Democrats, whom she describes as “radicals and extremists” on the abortion issue.

Stefanik and her son Sam, who just turned two years old

SBA roster president Marjorie Dannenfelser said Stefanik is a strong “role model” and steadfast in her commitment to life

“As the youngest mother in Congress, I gave birth to my son Sam almost two years ago,” Stefanik said

“They want on-demand abortions that are taxpayer paid for, including late abortions until after the birth.” “That’s not the consensus position in America,” she exclaimed.

“It’s Republicans who support the consensus position in America,” she added, listing Republican legislation supporting the expansion of the child tax credit and criticism of the Biden administration over the baby food shortage.

On whether there should be a specific nationwide ban on abortion, Stefanik said there should be a “reasonable stance” that taxpayers’ money is not going to abortions.

She is a co-supporter of a law that would ban abortions after 12 weeks except for rape, incest and mother’s life.

Stefanik also added that Congress’ continued support for the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of taxpayer money for abortions, is vital.

• By Laura Kuenssberg
• Moderator, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Jun 24, 2023 2:34pm BST

Updated 32 minutes ago

video caption,

Watch: All sides should take responsibility and protect civilians – British Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak has called on all sides in Russia to “take responsibility and protect civilians,” while Wagner Group mercenaries are seizing military sites in Russia and Vladimir Putin vowing to “punish” those involved in the crackdown on his government .

In the UK, a meeting of the Cobra Emergency Committee was held on Saturday afternoon, chaired by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

We don’t learn much about what is said at these meetings, but the government says Mr Cleverly has received the latest information and has paid particular attention to the situation of British nationals still in Russia.

Mr. Sunak is later scheduled to speak to allies over the phone about how the international community should respond to the events.

Speaking exclusively to Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Mr Sunak suggested the government has been monitoring internal threats against Vladimir Putin for some time.

He told me, “We have been observing for some time the potentially destabilizing effects of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.”

And he said the situation “is developing on the ground as we speak”.

But he called for calm on all sides, saying: “The most important thing I would say is that all parties take responsibility and protect the civilian population.” For months, of course, the focus has been on the fighting in Ukraine.

The prime minister did not echo a more frank assessment by the defense ministry, which declared on its official Twitter feed that “this represents the biggest challenge the Russian state has faced in recent memory.”

But Mr Sunak did not deny this.

With so much unclear, it’s obvious that Number 10 doesn’t want to give an official verdict on what’s happened just yet.

However, it is clear from the Department of Defense’s comments that the government sees the action taking place as a potential game changer.

• Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC News and streaming this Sunday 25 June from 09:00 BST
• This week’s program features Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour’s Shadow Secretary Lisa Nandy
• Follow the latest updates in text and video on the BBC News website from 8am

The situation is unstable and no one in Westminster can predict with certainty what will happen next.

It is not clear exactly what the motives of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozchin are.

It is also not certain how many resources and men Wagner actually has.

But one of the questions being asked in Westminster this afternoon is how Ukraine can make the best of the apparent disarray within Russia to make headway in what is now a long-running conflict.

Our politicians, like the rest of us, are watching events and wondering what on earth is going on, unable to be sure what will happen next. But they watch with rapt attention.

The war in Ukraine had such a huge impact on UK politicians because it indirectly affected every family, business and household in the country by driving up energy bills.

This is one of the biggest factors behind the high inflation, which the Prime Minister calls “enemy number one”.

That’s what we talk to the Prime Minister, his plans for the NHS and Boris Johnson in an exclusive interview you can watch on Sunday morning.

But as events unfold in Russia, remember that the actions of one man, Vladimir Putin, turned so much on its head here.

Moscow may be almost 2,000 miles away, but what happens to stability in Russia over the next few days is of great importance to our leaders in Westminster and to all of us.

More from Laura Kuenssberg