ROSTOV-ON-DON/VORONEZH: Heavily armed Russian mercenaries withdrew from the southern Russian city of Rostov overnight under a deal that halted their rapid advance on Moscow but raised questions about President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power.
Ending their mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group headed back to their bases in return for guarantees for their safety. Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested the turmoil in Russia could take months to play out, while Italy’s foreign minister said it had shattered the “myth” of Russian unity. Putin has not commented publicly since the deal was struck to de-escalate one of the biggest challenges since he rose to power more than two decades ago.
He said he was giving top priority to the conflict in Ukraine in excerpts from an interview aired by state television on Sunday, but it appeared to have been recorded before the mutiny and he made no reference to Saturday’s events.
State television also said Putin would attend a meeting of Russia’s Security Council this coming week, without elaborating and Belarus’ Belta news agency says Putin and Lukashenko spoke again on Sunday, after at least two calls on Saturday.
Prigozhin, 62, was seen leaving the district military headquarters in Rostov – hundreds of miles south of Moscow – late on Saturday in a sport utility vehicle. His whereabouts on Sunday were not known.
A former Putin ally and ex-convict whose forces have fought the bloodiest battles of the 16-month war in Ukraine, Prigozhin said his decision to advance on Moscow was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war. –Agencies
