Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 **Media Thread** NO DISCUSSION #5

[PommyMommy]

Lukashenka held talks with Prigozhin, his press service reported

"This morning Russian President Vladimir Putin briefed his Belarusian colleague on the situation in southern Russia with the private military company Wagner. The heads of state agreed on joint actions. Following the agreements, the President of Belarus, having further clarified the situation through their own channels, in coordination with the President of Russia, held talks with the head of the Wagner PMC, Evgeny Prigozhin.

The talks lasted for the whole day. As a result they came to an agreement on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloodbath on the territory of Russia. Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the offer of President Alexander Lukashenka to stop the movement of armed men of Wagner in Russia and to take further steps to de-escalate tension.

At the moment, on the table is absolutely advantageous and acceptable option of resolving the situation, with security guarantees for the Wagner PMC fighters.

As previously reported, the President of Belarus has held two meetings with the security bloc of the country on the situation today," said the press service.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672654994456076289

 

[PommyMommy]

Mercenary troops withdraw from Rostov as Prigozhin calls off rebellion – as it happened

The mercenaries’ chief said he had halted his troops to avoid ‘Russian bloodshed’, and he is not facing charges

www.theguardian.com

2m ago13.27 EDT

Belarus president says Progzhin accepted de-escalation proposal​

The office of Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko just announced that Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted a proposal to “stop the movement of armed persons of the Wagner company on the territory of Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tensions,” the president’s office said, with similar reporting in Russian news outlets.

The statement said that Vladimir Putin briefed Lukashenko in the morning and, with his approval, Lukashenko held negotiating talks with Prigozhin.

“Negotiations continued throughout the day. As a result, they came to agreements on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloody massacre on the territory of Russia,” the statement read.

Wagner nor Prigozhin has not commented on the negotiations.

 

[PommyMommy]

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[PommyMommy]

Mercenary troops withdraw from Rostov as Prigozhin calls off rebellion – as it happened

The mercenaries’ chief said he had halted his troops to avoid ‘Russian bloodshed’, and he is not facing charges

www.theguardian.com

1h ago18.37 BST
AP confirms Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin is halting his mercenaries moments after Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko said he brokered a de-escalation deal. In an audio message, Prigozhin said that he is stopping his troops to avoid “Russian bloodshed”.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672660607211016192

21m ago14.14 EDT
Russian state-controlled TV station RT is reporting that Wagner troops are packing up in Rostov, with video footage of Wagner soldiers appearing to prepare to leave.

 

[PommyMommy]

June 24, 2023 - Wagner head says group standing down

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed Saturday that he was turning his forces around from a march toward Moscow in what Russian President Putin called an "armed uprising." Follow for live updates.

www.cnn.com

41 min ago

Prigozhin says his forces "are turning our columns around," amid claims of deal brokered by Lukashenko​

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks in this screengrab from a video released on June 24. Press service of "Concord"/Handout/Reuters

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin published a new audio recording Saturday claiming he was turning his forces around from a march toward Moscow.

“We turning our columns around and going back in the other direction toward our field camps, in accordance with the plan,” he said in a message on Telegram.

The announcement comes as the Belarusian government claimed President Alexander Lukashenko had reached a deal with Wagner boss to halt the march of his forces on Moscow.

"This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin briefed his Belarusian counterpart on the situation in southern Russia with the private military company Wagner," the statement said. "The heads of state agreed on joint actions.
"As a follow-up to the agreements, the President of Belarus, having being additionally informed on the situation through his own channels, and in agreement with the President of Russia, held talks with the head of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin," the statement continued. "Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the proposal of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of armed persons of the Wagner company on the territory of Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tensions."

CNN has reached to Prigozhin's office for comment.

 

[PommyMommy]

Mercenary troops withdraw from Rostov as Prigozhin calls off rebellion – as it happened

The mercenaries’ chief said he had halted his troops to avoid ‘Russian bloodshed’, and he is not facing charges

www.theguardian.com

3m ago19.38 BST
Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko’s press office said that Vladimir Putin has thanked him for negotiating with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who agreed to pull back his mercenaries after talking with Lukashenko.

“Today at 9 pm, the presidents spoke on the phone again. Belarus president has informed the Russia president in great detail about the results of his negotiations with authorities of Wagner PMC,” the statement reads. “President of Russia supported and thanked his Belarus colleague for the work he did.”

The Kremlin has yet to make any public statements about the negotiations.

 

[PommyMommy]

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[PommyMommy]

June 24, 2023 - Wagner head says group standing down

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed Saturday that he was turning his forces around from a march toward Moscow in what Russian President Putin called an "armed uprising." Follow for live updates.

www.cnn.com

13 min ago

Case against Prigozhin will be dropped and he will be sent to Belarus, Kremlin spokesperson says​

Criminal charges against Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin will be dropped and he will be sent to neighboring Belarus, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"You will ask me what will happen to Prigozhin personally?" Peskov said in a conference call with reporters Saturday. "The criminal case will be dropped against him. He himself will go to Belarus.

 

[PommyMommy]

Mercenary troops withdraw from Rostov as Prigozhin calls off rebellion – as it happened

The mercenaries’ chief said he had halted his troops to avoid ‘Russian bloodshed’, and he is not facing charges

www.theguardian.com

8m ago16.11 EDT

Wagner chief Prigozhin will move to Belarus under deal​

The Wagner force chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus under the deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to end the armed mutiny that Prigozhin had led against Russia’s military leadership, the Kremlin said on Saturday night.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s agreement, because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years.

Prigozhin and all of his fighters vacated the military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don that they had previously taken over, the RIA news agency reported.

 

[PommyMommy]

Putin's spokesman: Reshuffles at Defense Ministry haven't been discussed with Prigozhin.

The statement was made by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has called for the dismissal of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672697503496515587

Putin's spokesman: Part of Wagner mercenaries will sign contracts with Defense Ministry.

The Wagner mercenaries who did not participate in the rebellion will sign contracts with the Defense Ministry and will not be prosecuted, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672695914937417731

 

[PommyMommy]

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[PommyMommy]

We all remember how the head of Russia threatened the world in 2021. He had some ultimatums, he was trying to show a kind of strength...

The year 2022 showed that he confused – confused his illusions and the lies he was fed with strength. They in the Kremlin are capable of resorting to any terror, capable of resorting to any stupidity, but they cannot provide even one percent of the necessary control. And they are the problem.

In one day, they lost several of their million-plus cities and showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs and anyone else how easy it is to capture Russian cities and, probably, arsenals with weapons.

Now, it is very important that no one in the world remains silent because of being afraid of this Russian chaos. All the actions of the leaders now can be historic. Every word of journalists is worth its weight in gold. It is necessary to clearly name the source of the problem. And if someone in the world tries to ignore the situation, if someone in the world is under the illusion that the Kremlin is capable of regaining control... this only postpones the problem until the next breakthrough of chaos – even more dangerous.

We all know the solutions.

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[PommyMommy]

The Wagner rebellion has been called off but Putin has never looked weaker

Images of tanks in streets of Moscow evoked the faltering Soviet Union’s final months in 1991, raising hopes of history repeating itself

www.theguardian.com

For months Yevgeny Prigozhin has theatrically railed against Russia’s military leaders. He has lambasted the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and commander in chief, Valery Gerasimov, accusing them of bungling and incompetence over the war in Ukraine.

In one video Prigozhin blamed Moscow for the deaths of soldiers from his Wagner mercenary unit. Their bodies were piled up behind him. In a letter, he challenged Shoigu to visit the bloody Ukrainian frontline for himself, where Wagner troops have been fighting and dying in the eastern city of Bakhmut.

[...]

...Prigozhin is demanding nothing less than Shoigu’s condign removal and the replacement of the entire general staff. On Saturday night, Prigozhin announced he was pulling back from the Russian capital and returning to base, in order to avoid spilling blood.

[...]

...His manifesto is for Russia to fight a more vigorous campaign in Ukraine, with better top-level decision-making, more honesty, and fewer soldiers needlessly chucked into the “mincer” and sacrificed in badly-thought-out attacks.

Prigozhin accuses Shoigu of covering up the scale of Russian losses. He is also unhappy at retreats last year, when the Russian army was forced to abandon the southern city of Kherson, and most of Kherson oblast in the north-east.

[...]

Prigozhin’s privateer army of volunteers and released convicts has proven itself to be a more disciplined and able military outfit than the regular Russian army. It has vanished from the scene, at least for now, and turned its attention to Russia itself.

[...]

Putin’s dream of capturing the whole of Ukraine and “reuniting” it with Russia has not come to pass. It has turned out to be a dictator’s fantasy: the product of poor intelligence, messianic thinking and Putin’s extreme isolation during the Covid pandemic. Now Russia stands on the brink of civil strife, victory over Kyiv seems further away than ever.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

The mercenary chief who urged an uprising against Russia's generals has long ties to Putin

Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has taken the spotlight in Russia by posing a direct challenge to Russia’s generals over the war in Ukraine. Long a low-profile Russian businessman, Prigozhin is owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner mercenary group, which has played a central role in Russia’s...

apnews.com

Prigozhin and Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, what is now known as St. Petersburg.

During the final years of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin served time in prison — 10 years by his own admission — although he does not say what it was for.

Afterward, he owned a hot dog stand and then fancy restaurants that drew interest from Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French President Jacques Chirac to dine at one of them.

“Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I don’t mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests,” Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011.

Russian mercenary group revolt against Moscow fizzles but exposes vulnerabilities

The greatest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power has fizzled out after the rebellious mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow agreed to go into exile and sounded the retreat.

apnews.com

In allowing Prigozhin and his forces to go free, Peskov said Putin’s “highest goal” was “to avoid bloodshed and internal confrontation with unpredictable results.”

Live Updates | Armed rebellion by Russian mercenary chief

The Kremlin says the head of the private Russian military company Wagner will move to neighboring Belarus as part of deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s troops who joined him in the...

apnews.com

Russian media reported late Saturday that several helicopters and a military communications plane were downed by Wagner troops during the short-lived uprising. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin previously said his forces had taken control of the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, as well as other military facilities in the city without any deaths or even “a single gunshot.”

The Kremlin referred the question about the losses to the Defense Ministry, which has kept mum.

 

[PommyMommy]

U.S. to Delay New Sanctions on Wagner for Fear of Siding With Putin

The U.S. is set to delay new sanctions on Russian paramilitary group Wagner after its founder and leader launched an uprising against the Kremlin, people familiar with the matter said Saturday, fearing a delay could inadvertently help President Vladimir Putin. “Washington does not want to appear to

www.wsj.com

The U.S. is set to delay new sanctions on Russian paramilitary group Wagner after its founder and leader launched an uprising against the Kremlin, people familiar with the matter said Saturday, fearing a delay could inadvertently help President Vladimir Putin.

“Washington does not want to appear to be taking sides in this,” a person familiar with the postponement said.

The State Department had planned to announce new designations on Wagner’s gold business in Africa on Tuesday, including on a mining operation set up by the group in the Central African Republic, these people said.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672754687731269632

 

[JennieM]

Ukrainians dared to dream that Wagner action could be the fatal blow in war​

Kyiv’s long-awaited counter-offensive has been slow, but a mutiny in the Russian lines looked like changing it all

When news of a potential civil war in Russia circulated across the country, Ukrainians struggled to believe it was real. But by Saturday morning, as footage was shared online showing the Wagner mercenary troops with their tanks and armoured vehicles advancing towards Moscow, millions were glued to their mobile phones.

The Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has since called off the advance, but for 24 hours, Ukrainians dared to dream that the warlord’s action could be the fatal blow in the war.

Ukrainians dared to dream that Wagner action could be the fatal blow in war

Kyiv’s long-awaited counter-offensive has been slow, but a mutiny in the Russian lines looked like changing it all

www.theguardian.com

 

[PommyMommy]

Russian mercenaries' short-lived revolt could have long-term consequences for Putin​

''A short-lived revolt by a rebellious Russian mercenary commander ended with his troops beating a retreat, but the extraordinary challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s two-decade hold on power could have long-term consequences for his rule and his war in Ukraine.

Putin’s image as a tough leader had already been badly bruised by the Ukraine war, which has dragged on for 16 months and claimed huge numbers of Russian troops. Saturday’s march toward Moscow by forces under the command of his onetime protege, Yevgeny Prigozhin, exposed further weaknesses, analysts said.

It also meant some of the best forces fighting for Russia in Ukraine were pulled from that battlefield: Prigozhin’s own Wagner troops and Chechen ones sent to stop them.''

“For a dictatorship built on the idea of unchallenged power, this was an extreme humiliation, and it’s hard to see the genie of doubt ever being forced back into the bottle,” said Phillips O’Brien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. “So, if Prigozhin might have lost in the short term, Putin is likely to be the long-term loser.”

 

[PommyMommy]

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[PommyMommy]

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[PommyMommy]

Russia coup latest: Convict fighters accuse Prigozhin of 'walking off'​

Russia summons airborne forces to protect Moscow​

Russia has sent two airborne units from occupied territories in Ukraine to protect Moscow during the Wagner group’s rebellion.

Russian command “plans to keep them [airborne troops] for at least a week (in Moscow)”, the Ukrainian military’s National Resistance Center said on Sunday.

Up to two companies of Russia’s 76th Airborne Assault Division got to Moscow by Il-76 transport aircraft, according to the report.

Convict fighters accuse Prigozhin of 'walking off'​

Russian convict fighters who had expressed support for Yevgeny Prigozhin and his armed coup on Saturday have accused him of “walking off” after he struck a deal with President Vladimir Putin.

Recruits of a Storm Z unit, a Russian military unit made up of convicts, stood in combat uniform holding assault rifles as one addressed Prigozhin and said he was “not a man” after he called off the mutiny.

“Rumours say you walked off, lied to all the lads. The whole of Storm Z was ready to stand behind you, and not only Storm Z, your guys also. But you walked off,” he added.

In the terms of the deal, Prigozhin has said he will relocate to Belarus.

Another soldier said: “You spoke beautifully, we supported you. And now what?”

Beef-up NATO to protect nations from Wagner, says Lithuania's president​

Lithuania’s president has warned that if Belarus is to host Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin then NATO will need to strengthen its eastern flank.