Russia has invaded Ukraine

[Gavin78]

Looks like it was all hot air in the end

[jfman]

Wouldn’t be going up any flights of stairs in the near future.

Prigozhin had better be sleeping in a windowless bungalow for the foreseeable future.

[Gavin78]

I dont understand why he did what he did and pulled back? perhaps showing Putin he couldn't be pushed around?

Seems he could have taken the Kremlin down today, What a total waste of time and effort for nothing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/worl...ost_type=share

Wagner boss to leave for Belarus and charges to be dropped - state media

Russian state media have just reported that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will leave for Belarus.

The reports say charges against him and his Wagner forces will be dropped by Russian authorities to avoid "bloodshed".

Russia offers military roles to Wagner fighters

We've just heard from Dmitry Peskov, President Putin's press secretary.

Peskov says Wagner mercenaries who wish to sign a Ministry of Defence contract can, and fighters who took part today's uprising will not be prosecuted.

On a totally unrelated note, anybody want to buy London Bridge?

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Dave42

Wagner Group leader halts advance on Moscow and agrees to de-escalate tensions | Russia Mutiny live

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-r...dates-12541713

A bought off mercenary. There's a surprise.

Well that all fizzled out like a damp squib.
Dont really see how this can end well for Prigozhin, or his men.
Yesterday they were traitors, today they are forgiven ... ? by Putin ? I doubt that.

I wonder why he lost his nerve.

Dr Mike Martin, War Expert said a couple of hours ago, “this is a pause, it’s not an end.”

In Rostov he says people chanting “Wagner, Wagner”, as they were leaving, says this doesn’t feel over by a long shot.”

[Sirius]

I feel there was something not right about the whole event. If i was to wear my tin foil hat i would say it was a cleverly disguised publicity stunt.

[Itshim]

Originally Posted by Itshim

Just a thought no basis what so ever for saying it. A setup to get Putin of the hook and withdraw .

From sky news
Wagner mutiny may have been an 'orchestrated event', analyst says
The brief mutiny led by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin may have been an "orchestrated event", a global affairs analyst has said.

Michael Bociurkiw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, also told Sky News that the exile of Mr Prigozhin to Belarus may mask future "lethal" events.

He said: "We cannot dismiss the possibility that this was actually an orchestrated event by the Kremlin - perhaps to do some house cleaning of top officials, but also to test the loyalty of people in the military, of other officials."

Mr Bociurkiw went on: "I cannot see Mr Prigozhin riding off into the sunset on a tractor in Belarus, or digging potatoes there, or heading off into the jungle in Africa somewhere.

"It all ended a little too fast and a little too tidy for my liking."

He also warned that the Wagner leader remains extremely powerful.

"Mr Prigozhin commands a force that is bigger than the militaries of some medium-sized countries in Europe.

"And don't forget he commands an incredible amount of resources in Africa - it's said that in DRC alone their annual income from mining is about a billion dollars.

"The border with Belarus is very porous - it could still be used for another push against Ukraine, and with Mr Prigozhin there and his tactics, it's pretty lethal."

That’s nuts. Putin has been made to look weak. One minute there’s a mutiny and he’s threatening to execute Prigozhin, the next it’s all over and the perpetrator has been forgiven. These are not the actions of a powerful, ruthless man with a throne and a reputation to protect.

These batty theories all emanate from those who *still* despite the evidence of the last 16 months, think Russia is a superpower led by a master strategist. It is in fact a brittle kleptocracy in which the warlords surrounding the Tsar squabble for wealth and influence. Furthermore it’s a country wide open to invasion by anyone with an army.

[pip08456]

Wonder how true this is?

Russian Sources are stating that Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu is currently under a form of “House Arrest” by the FSB pending an Investigation into his Leadership within the MoD and the Theft of Military Funding, Sources believe that Major Announcements regarding charges in the Chain-of-Command and General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces are expected sometime today, June the 26th or this week

Anything or nothing could be true right now. Wise heads have pointed out that claims about the supposed solution to the mutiny on Saturday (involving Lukashenko of Belarus) were only single-sourced. Nobody has seen or heard from Prigo since then and some reports say that elements of Wagner remain in control of certain military installations in or near Rostov on Don.

The situation in Russia is clear as mud, but this is actually classic Russian behaviour. Few people will stand up and take a side because they just want to go on collecting rent from whoever eventually triumphs.

https://wapo.st/3pkmMIJ

Prigozhin resurfaces

Prigozhin said in his video message that the rebellion, which he refers to as a “march of justice,” came after orders that would have resulted in the absorption of Wagner mercenary forces in Ukraine into the conventional military, beginning July 1. He claimed that most Wagner members had refused to sign contacts with Russia’s minister of defense, accusing military commanders of incompetence, and reiterated accusations that his fighters came under attack from Russian forces.

The success of Wagner’s rapid advance toward Moscow suggests that the group should have been responsible for the drive to take Kyiv in the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Prigozhin said. If that attack “was carried out by a unit of a similar level of training and moral composure such as Wagner then perhaps the ‘special operation’ would have lasted a day.”

Prigozhin did not reveal his location. He did not discuss his reported acceptance of exile in Belarus.