Wagner chief says his mercenaries are ‘turning back’ from Moscow advance:
The rebel Wagner mercenary force threatened to march on Moscow on Saturday before announcing a stunning pull-back, as Kyiv seized on the chaos to launch new assaults against Russian positions in Ukraine.
The Wagner private army captured a key military headquarters in southern Russia, and sent a force north to threaten the capital, defying Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s warning of civil war.
But amid Russia’s most serious security crisis in decades, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin delivered a surprise announcement, saying his troops were turning back to avoid bloodshed in the Russian capital.
“We are turning our columns around and going back to field camps,” Prigozhin announced after previously vowing to march on Moscow to topple the military leadership.
He said understood the importance of the moment and did not want to “spill Russian blood.”
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he had negotiated a truce with Prigozhin “on stopping the movement of armed individuals from the Wagner group on Russian territory and further steps on deescalating tensions.”
Kyiv revelled in the chaos, as Putin’s former mercenary ally Prigozhin turned his Wagner force away from the offensive against Ukraine and made threats to topple the chiefs of Russia’s military.
“The man from the Kremlin is obviously very scared and is probably hiding somewhere,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily address, adding that Putin has “created this threat himself.”
Separately, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Ganna Malyar announced that Ukrainian forces had gained more ground in the eastern region of the Donbas, launching new counteroffensives in several areas.
Putin’s spokesman insisted the Russian leader was still at work in the Kremlin and had not fled Moscow.
Russian blood
Before Prigozhin’s apparent climbdown, Russian regular forces had launched what one regional governor called a “counter-terrorist operation” to halt the Wagner advance northwards up a main highway towards Moscow.
The governor of the Lipetsk region, whose capital is just 420 kilometres (260 miles) south of Moscow, said Wagner’s private military force was “moving across” the territory and urged civilians not to leave their homes.
In the capital, the mayor urged Muscovites to stay indoors and declared Monday a day off work.
“The situation is difficult. I ask you to refrain from travelling around the city as much as possible,” Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement, warning of possible road closures.
Prigozhin said his troops had taken control of the military command centre and airbase in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve centre of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
“We got to Rostov. Without a single shot we captured the HQ building,” he said, claiming that local civilians had welcomed the operation and vowing to overthrow Russia’s military command.
“Why does the country support us? Because we went on a march of justice,” he said, claiming his men had not killed any soldiers despite having been hit with strikes from army “artillery and after that from helicopters”.
Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prigozhin — whose private army provided shock troops for Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine — of a “stab in the back” that posed a threat to Russia’s very survival.
‘Harsh measures’
“Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and to our people,” Putin said, demanding national unity.
“Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason,” Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who began building his powerbase as a catering contractor.
“All those who consciously stood on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, before the law and before our people,” Putin vowed.
Another Putin ally, Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, declared that he had dispatched his own units to help quash the Wagner rebellion, warning: “The rebellion must be put down, and if harsh measures are necessary, we are ready!”
Latvia announced that it was tightening security on its Russian border and would not admit refugees fleeing the chaos.
‘Civil conflict’
After Putin’s speech accusing him of treason, Prigozhin launched a second broadside.
“On treason of the motherland: the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland,” Prigozhin said. “Nobody plans to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else.”
Armed Wagner fighters deployed around administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks had been seen in the city centre.
As the insurrection force headed north through Voronezh and Lipetsk towards Moscow, the capital’s mayor announced that “anti-terrorist” measures were being taken.
Critical facilities were “under reinforced protection”, TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source.
While Prigozhin’s outfit fought at the forefront of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, in recent months it has engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow’s military leadership.
He has repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters’ deaths.
© Agence France-Presse
Putin vows to defeat Wagner Group as mercenaries advance on Moscow:
Rebel mercenaries advanced north towards Moscow after seizing a key military base Saturday, just as Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s vowed to defeat the revolt and head off the threat of civil war.
The rapidly escalating events mark the most serious challenge yet to the Russian president’s rule — and Russia’s most serious security crisis since the strongman came to power in late 1999.
Putin’s spokesman insisted the Russian leader was still at work in the Kremlin and had not fled Moscow, as regular forces launched a “counter-terrorist operation” to halt the rebel advance in the Voronezh region, on the Wagner force’s route to the capital.
The governor of the Lipetsk region, whose capital is just 420 kilometres (260 miles) south of Moscow, said Wagner’s private military force was “moving across” the territory and urged civilians not to leave their homes.
Ukrainian leaders, meanwhile, revelled in the outbreak of in-fighting among its Russian foes, with a deputy defence minister describing it as a “window of opportunity” for Kyiv’s latest counteroffensive to rid its territory of Russian forces.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, once a close Putin ally, said his troops had taken control of the military command centre and airbase in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve centre of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, and vowed to topple Moscow’s top military leaders.
“We got to Rostov. Without a single shot we captured the HQ building,” he said, in an audio message on social media channels, claiming that local civilians had welcomed the operation.
“Why does the country support us? Because we went on a march of justice,” he said, claiming his men had not killed any soldiers despite having been hit with strikes from army “artillery and after that from helicopters”.
Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prighozin — whose private army provided shock troops for Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine — of a “stab in the back” that posed a threat to Russia’s very survival.
‘Harsh measures’
“Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and to our people,” Putin said, demanding national unity.
“Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason,” Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who built his powerbase as a catering contractor to the Kremlin and now runs a private military force.
“All those who consciously stood on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, before the law and before our people,” Putin vowed.
The FSB security service accused Prigozhin of attempting to launch a “civil conflict” and urged Wagner fighters to detain him.
Another Putin ally, Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, declared that he had dispatched his own units to help quash the Wagner rebellion.
“Defence ministry and National Guard fighters of the Chechen Republic have already left for the zones of tension,” Kadyrov said on Telegram.
“The rebellion must be put down, and if harsh measures are necessary, we are ready!”
Belarus also backed Moscow in the conflict.
“Any provocation, any internal conflict in military or political circles, in the information field or in civil society is a gift to the collective West,” the Belarusian foreign ministry said.
Latvia announced that it was tightening security on its Russian border and would not admit refugees fleeing the chaos.
Inside Ukraine, emergency services said that three people were killed and nearly a dozen injured in Kyiv after what authorities said was an overnight barrage of 40 Russian cruise missiles and at least two attack drones.
‘Civil conflict’
After Putin’s speech accusing him of treason, Prigozhin launched a second broadside.
“On treason of the motherland: the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland,” Prigozhin said. “Nobody plans to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else.”
Russia’s headquarters in Rostov-on-Don is a key logistical base for its offensive in Ukraine.
Watching events unfold in Russia as his own forces conduct a slow-moving counteroffensive, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the revolt showed Russia’s was failing.
“Russia’s weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness,” he said.
“And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious, that Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos.”
Armed Wagner fighters deployed around administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks could be seen in the city centre.
As the insurrection force headed north through Voronezh and Lipetsk towards Moscow, the capital’s mayor announced that “anti-terrorist” measures were being taken.
Critical facilities were “under reinforced protection”, TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source.
Missile strikes
While Prigozhin’s outfit fought at the forefront of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, in recent months it has engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow’s military leadership.
He has repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters’ deaths.
The Russian defence ministry warned that Ukrainian troops were taking advantage of the infighting to ready an assault near the eastern hotspot of Bakhmut.
A prominent Russian general urged Prigozhin to call off efforts to remove the defence ministry leadership.
“I urge you to stop,” Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russia’s aerospace forces, said in a highly unusual video address.
Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War said the Wagner chief’s attempt to force a leadership change in the defence ministry “is unlikely to succeed” given that Surovikin had denounced his call for rebellion.
However, it said Wagner’s apparent capture of Rostov-on-Don “would have significant impacts on Russia’s war effort in Ukraine”.
© Agence France-Presse
Mbalula: ANC won’t apologise for Russia alliance, supports new world order :
Like its Brics peers, the African National Congress endorses a new world order with justice and equity as its foundations, one that is not “governed by a superpower that imposes itself as a world policeman”, secretary general Fikile Mabulula said on Saturday.
The governing party would also not apologise for its alliance with Russia, Mbalula said while opening the ANC’s Western Cape conference.
He was speaking about South Africa’s “non-aligned” position on the Russia-Ukraine war, which would not end with the use of force, he added.
An African delegation led by president Cyril Ramaphosa recently visited the two countries on a peace initiative, offering a 10-point plan to end the war. The mission was also attended by presidents of Zambia, Comoros and Senegal, while Egypt, Uganda and Congo sent their foreign ministers.
Mbalula said that should the war end, it would unblock Black Sea economic cooperation to ensure grain and gas trade.
He said that hostilities would not end unless dialogue was promoted between Russia and Ukraine.
“So if South Africa has got an important voice, it can’t lend that voice by taking sides. We don’t know what the American interest in that war is,” he said.
Mbalula said the ANC had explained its non-aligned position to delegates from Denmark and the Netherlands, on the sidelines of the SA-Denmark-Netherlands Business Forum this week.
“We are not opportunistic. We are not convenient about our position. We are principled comrades. You must stand for what you believe in.
“When we start to engage the politics of America, we are told, including by the ambassador, that we’re American bashers. We’re not bashing America. We don’t believe in the aggression of other states. We have witnessed [US] aggression before Ukraine. Cuba is suffering from decades of [US] aggression, for their self determination and the belief in their ideology….”
In his explosive interview in May, the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, alleged that the country had last year either sold or given ammunition to Russia. His claims, if correct, would fly in the face of South Africa’s non-aligned stance in the war.
Pretoria has denied the claims, and President Cyril Ramaphosa has established an inquiry to probe the allegations.
Brigety said Washington had taken offence at ANC resolutions adopted during its December elective conference about the war, and the expansion of Nato.
Brigety also said that since taking up his post in August 2022, he had “repeatedly” tried to open dialogue with the ANC, but the governing party had only recently responded to the requests.
Mbalula on Saturday brushed off suggestions that South Africa’s trade relations with the US were under threat. The country would not change its posture, he said.
“We stand for what we believe in as the African National Congress. We stand for a new world order that is defined by justice – an equitable world that is defined by fairness – that is not defined by hypocrisy, that is defined by a rules-based approach…. We believe in a multipolar world that is not governed by a superpower that imposes itself as a world policeman.
“We know Russia is our partner in Brics and we’re not going to apologise. Russia is our biggest partner in Brics together with all the other countries of Brics.”
He added that Russian president Vladimir Putin must be exempted should he come to South Africa for the Brics summit in August, and that this could be achieved through the domestication of the Rome Statute.
Pretoria is grappling with how to host Putin since a warrant for his arrest was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March.
The ICC, established by the Rome Statute to which South Africa is a signatory, alleges that Putin is responsible for the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia — a war crime — since 24 February 2022, the day Russia invaded Ukraine.
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