Day 487 of the Invasion of Ukraine: The “Coup” got Canceled, Prigozhin goes to Belarus after he Humiliated Putin

@novinite.com

Day 487 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• The deal: Prigozhin goes to Belarus, no one from "Wagner" will be tried for the rebellion
• Prigozhin stopped the insurrection and his march to Moscow:
• Kadyrov said he persuaded Prigozhin not to mix his business ambitions with state affairs
• Prigozhin humiliated Putin, said an adviser to the Ukrainian president
• Ukraine said it had retaken more territory in the Donetsk region
• Timeline of the 1-day civil war in Russia

The deal: Prigozhin goes to Belarus, no one from "Wagner" will be tried for the rebellion

Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Putin's spokesman, told reporters details of the talks between Yevgeny Prigozhin and Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko claimed that Prigozhin accepted his proposal "to stop the movement of Wagner's armed units on Russian territory and to take further steps to de-escalate tensions."

Here's what Putin's spokesman said about the agreement reached:

• The criminal case against Prigozhin will be terminated, and Prigozhin himself "will go to Belarus";
• The mercenaries who participated in the rebellion will not be tried, given their military merit;
• Part of the fighters who did not participate in the rebellion will sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense;
• Lukashenko offered himself to be a negotiator, as he has known Prigozhin for more than 20 years;
• No new addresses to the Russians are planned by Vladimir Putin.
• Dmitry Peskov said that he does not know what Prigozhin will do in Belarus or what position he will hold.

Prigozhin stopped the insurrection and his march to Moscow

PMC "Wagner" stopped the movement of the columns, turned them around and returned to the field camps, said the head of "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday evening.

“Realizing the full responsibility that Russian blood may be spilled by one of the parties, we turn our columns and retreat to our places of dislocation according to the plan”, Prigozhin declared.

During the past 24-48 hours PMC "Wagner" established control over Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh and advanced towards Moscow.

In Moscow, they were preparing for the arrival of the private army by building checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on its southern approach. The Red Square was closed.

Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush the rebellion, which he likened to the Russian Civil War just over a century ago.

"The president is making a big mistake talking about treason. We are patriots, we fight for our country. We don't want the country to live in the midst of corruption and fraud anymore," said Prigozhin in an audio message.

On Saturday evening, Lukashenko's press office announced that after consultations with Putin, the Belarusian president had spoken with Yevgeny Prigozhin and agreed with him "on the inadmissibility of bloodshed on Russian territory." Lukashenko claimed that Prigozhin accepted his proposal "to stop the movement of Wagner's armed units on Russian territory and to take further steps to de-escalate tensions."

Putin's power depends on whether he can muster enough loyal troops to fight the rebels at a time when most Russian forces are on the front lines in southern and eastern Ukraine. The rebellion also risks disorganizing Russian forces waging a war against Ukraine, just as Kyiv launched its most determined counteroffensive since the war began in February last year. Read the timeline of the insurrection from yesterday below.

Kadyrov said he persuaded Prigozhin not to mix his business ambitions with state affairs

The head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, said that he persuaded the founder of "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin to give up his business ambitions and not mix them with state affairs, TASS reported.

"It turns out that for the sake of personal ambitions, profit and because of hubris, people can give up their attachment and love for the Fatherland. I talked with Prigozhin, I persuaded him to abandon business ambitions and not to mix them with affairs of state importance." wrote Kadyrov on Telegram.

"The chain of failed business deals caused the businessman's hidden and long-lasting resentment, which reached its peak when the authorities in St. Petersburg did not grant his daughter the desired property. The arrogance of one person could lead to such dangerous consequences and involve a large number of people in the conflict," the Chechen leader added.

He also called on all Wagner fighters to "continue to be sober in their decisions." "Think of the future of the country, of your families, of your children. Such actions can lead to disastrous results. Now everything ended peacefully, without bloodshed, but it could have happened otherwise. The ultimate measure would have been the harsh suppression and destruction of anyone who encroaches on the integrity of the Russian Federation," concluded the head of the Caucasian republic.

Prigozhin humiliated Putin, said an adviser to the Ukrainian president

The leader of the Wagner paramilitary group Yevgeny Prigozhin has "humiliated Putin" by rebelling with his men, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency said last night, after the Kremlin and Wagner agreed to stop after a day of armed rebellion that rocked the Russian government.

"Prigozhin humiliated Putin and the state and showed that in Russia there is no longer a monopoly on legitimate violence," mocked Mykhailo Podolyakk on Twitter.

The Ukrainians had hoped that the Russian fighting would create opportunities for their army to retake territories seized by Russian forces, the Associated Press noted. Ben Barry, senior researcher on land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that even with a deal, Putin's position is likely weakened and "these developments will be of great importance to the Ukrainian government and the military."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late last night, shortly before Prigozhin announced his retreat, that the march had exposed the Kremlin's weakness and "showed all Russian thugs, mercenaries, oligarchs that it was easy to capture Russian cities and possibly arsenals".

Switching to Russian in his video address, Zelensky said "the man in the Kremlin" was "very scared".

In addition, Zelensky renewed calls for the West to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and tactical ballistic missiles.

Ukraine said it had retaken more territory in the Donetsk region

The Ukrainian army announced that it had achieved success yesterday in the eastern part of the Donetsk region, pushing back the occupying Russian troops, DPA reported.

"The Eastern grouping of troops launched an offensive in several areas simultaneously today," Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram. She added that as part of the offensive process, Russian troops around the destroyed city of Bakhmut were pushed back.

On other sections of the front in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, the fighters of Kyiv have repelled the attacks of the Russian units, Maliar specified.

Meanwhile, fierce fighting is taking place in southern Ukraine, where Kyiv's forces are also trying to retake Russian-occupied lands, according to the deputy minister, who reported a high number of Russian casualties.

About three weeks ago, Ukraine launched a counteroffensive to regain lands seized by Russia. However, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that progress is likely to be gradual, DPA recalls.

“Russian armed forces are successfully fighting in the Krasnyi Lyman direction and continue to liberate the territories of Donbas”, said Denis Pushilin, appointed by the Russian forces as the acting head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, which Moscow said it had annexed.

"I spoke with the boys. Everything is very difficult, but it is absolutely under control," Pushilin told Russian media. He added that Yevgeny Prigozhin's actions led to "a new rally around President Putin."

"This is possible only in Russia, we are united by the greatest difficulties and the greatest threats," added Pushilin.

Timeline of the 1-day civil war in Russia

11:18 p.m. - Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Putin's spokesman, told reporters details of the talks between Yevgeny Prigozhin and Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko claimed that Prigozhin accepted his proposal "to stop the movement of Wagner's armed units on Russian territory and to take further steps to de-escalate tensions."

Here's what Putin's spokesman said about the agreement reached:

• The criminal case against Prigozhin will be terminated, and Prigozhin himself "will go to Belarus";
• The mercenaries who participated in the rebellion will not be tried, given their military merit;
• Part of the fighters who did not participate in the rebellion will sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense;
• Lukashenko offered himself to be a negotiator, as he has known Prigozhin for more than 20 years;
• No new addresses to the Russians are planned by Vladimir Putin.

10:29 p.m. - Fighters of PMC "Wagner" began to leave the territory near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don. People in military uniforms pack their equipment, distribute themselves among the vehicles and leave their positions, according to TASS.

10:23 p.m. - Dozens of residents chanted "Wagner, Wagner!" near the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, seized early this morning by Yevgeny Prigozhin's mercenaries, as they appeared to be preparing to leave their positions, AFP reported. Gathered on a main street in the city center, many residents took out their phones to film the paramilitary group's fighters as they cheered them on.

10:21 p.m. - The governor of the Lipetsk region, located south of Moscow, announced the beginning of the lifting of the security measures taken earlier today. "The restrictions imposed today are beginning to be lifted. In the near future, we will reopen access to the roads in the district," Governor Igor Artamonov announced on Telegram. Wagner's fighters had entered the area earlier today, and Artamonov then urged residents to stay in their homes.

9:52 p.m. - The Eastern grouping of troops today began an offensive simultaneously in several directions, the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Hanna Maliar, announced. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have launched an offensive in the Orikhiv-Vasilovka, Bakhmut, Bogdanovka, Yagidne, Klishchievka, Kursyumivka directions and there is progress in all of them, added Oleksii Reznikov's deputy.

9:30 p.m. - At 9:00 p.m., Lukashenko and Putin again held a telephone conversation and discussed the negotiations with Prigozhin in detail. Putin thanked his colleague for the help, according to the press service of the president of Belarus.

9:10 p.m. - Footage on Telegram and Twitter shows "Wagner" fighters leaving the center of Rostov-on-Don in dark uniforms shouting "Wagner - strength!".

8:41 p.m. - New message from Prigozhin: "They wanted to disband the PMC Wagner. We went out on June 23 on the March of Justice. In one day we reached 200 kilometers from Moscow. During this time we have not shed a single drop of blood of our fighting men. The moment has now come when blood may be shed. Therefore, realizing the full responsibility that Russian blood may be shed on either side, we turn our columns and retire to our places of dislocation according to the plan." Prigozhin's message says nothing about an agreement with Lukashenko.

8:21 p.m. - Lukashenko's press office claims that after consultations with Putin, the Belarusian president spoke with Yevgeny Prigozhin and agreed with him "about the inadmissibility of bloodshed on Russian territory." Prigozhin is said to have accepted Lukashenko's proposal "to stop the movement of Wagner's armed units on Russian territory and to take further steps to de-escalate tensions". "At the moment, an absolutely favorable and acceptable option for resolving the situation with guarantees for the security of the fighters of PMC 'Wagner' is proposed on the table" - the press service claims.

7:57 p.m. - Reuters reports that the "Wagner" convoy heading to Moscow is personally led by the "hero of Russia" and outspoken Nazi Dmitry Utkin.

7:52 p.m. - Polish military analyst Jaroslaw Wolski: "Mass wave of deserters and surrendering Russian soldiers in Zaporizhzhia region. Confirmed for two directions, but the surrendering Russians are many. If it goes on like this for a few more days, everything will collapse".

7:50 p.m. - APCs and police officers on a highway on the outskirts of Moscow.

7:44 p.m. - "Today, President Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Richie Sunak. The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine" - reported by the White House.

7:40 p.m. - Yevgeny Prigozhin stated on his Telegram channel that his mercenaries are on the outskirts of Moscow. Prigozhin also noted that he was giving the Russian authorities half an hour to decide, after which the mercenaries would enter the city: “We are monitoring the situation, the authorities did not understand us. We're going to be brutal." In addition, he stressed that the Russian Ministry of Defense is withdrawing troops from the front line in Ukraine from many directions and sending them to Moscow, adding that "many of them are voluntarily crossing over to our side and going to Moscow."

7:29 p.m. - Helicopters are circling over Moscow.

7:27 p.m. - In Moscow, all mass outdoor events are suspended until July 1, the authorities announced.

7:22 p.m. - First shots fired in the area of the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don. PMC "Wagner" has ordered all civilians to go to their homes due to the expected arrival of Chechens from "Ahmat", reports RIA Novosti. Subsequently, citizen recordings showed that the shots were fired by a Wagner fighter at the door of a Rostelecom office.

7:08 p.m. - Wagner's access to VKontakte and Odnoklassniki social networks is restricted in Russia. The aim is to stop the spread of calls to participate in the "military commotion", reports TASS.

7:00 p.m. - Vladimir Putin signed a law today that allows for 30-day detention and a fine for violating martial law in places where it has been imposed.

6:44 p.m. - There have been reports that the authorities in the Lipetsk region are demolishing the roadway of the local highway connecting the villages and settlements with the regional center.

6:38 p.m. - Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin declared Monday a non-working day - "in order to minimize risks" within the framework of the "anti-terrorist operation" regime imposed in the capital. Sobyanin asked Moscow residents to "refrain from traveling around the city" as "blockage of traffic is possible in some neighborhoods and on some roads."

6:25 p.m. - People crowd the railway line in Rostov-on-Don, hoping to escape. Clashes are expected between Kadyrov's Chechen fighters and Wagner units.

6:16 p.m. - A Reuters journalist reports that military helicopters have opened fire on a Wagner convoy on the M4 highway outside the city of Voronezh, which includes at least one tank.

6:10 p.m. - In Moscow, the Red Square is blocked by metal barriers.

6:00 p.m. - Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, said it was clear that the attempt to "destabilize society and ignite a fratricidal civil war" had failed.

Continues in our coverage on the 486th day of the war in Ukraine.

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