The leader of mercenaries involved in an uprising against Putin has said his troops have agreed to stand down after reportedly being told they would be deported from Russia and Ukraine.
Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin announced his troops marching on Moscow would turn back soon after Belarus’ leader said he was in talks with Mr. Prigozhin about a deal to “de-escalate tensions”.
Negotiations between Mr. Prigozhin and President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus have opened up the possibility that the fast-developing security crisis facing the Russian government could be resolved without armed fighting. But Mr. Prigozhin did not immediately say whether his forces were leaving the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, where his forces seized critical military and civilian buildings.
The ‘truce’ reportedly includes:
These negotiations also reportedly include a “provision” that the majority of Wagner PMC forces will be transferred to Africa from Russia and Ukraine.
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 24, 2023
No one should ever believe any assurances given to them by Putin, because Russia is a serial violator of agreements, and many other shoes could fall in the near future.
Having Wagner’s ruthless mercenaries in Africa is bad news for the people there, but from Ukraine’s perspective, getting Wagner out of Ukraine is only a plus.
Wagner’s forces were better fighters against the Ukrainians than against the Russians, and if the mercenaries leave it would be a newr blow to Russia.
The past 24 hours have proven that Biden’s Ukraine strategy is working. Russia is in crisis because of the war in Ukraine. Putin is losing both at home and abroad.
There has been nothing good in the past 24 hours for Putin. The fact that these events happened is bad for the Russian authoritarian.
This story is far from over. Putin has never looked so weak. The last day has exposed him to the world the West and Ukraine should feel they have momentum as internal tensions are nothing new in Russia but the endgame could begin for Vladimir Putin’s regime.