Ukraine’s Zelenskiy calls Russian leaders “bandits”, rules out frozen conflict
Kyiv, UkraineReuters President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described Russia’s political and military leaders as bandits on Wednesday, and ruled out any peace plan that would turn the war on Ukraine into a frozen conflict. Zelenskiy made his remarks in a speech to parliament on Ukraine’s Constitution Day, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his troops […]
UN peacekeeping mission in Mali set to end on 30th June
Nairobi, Kenya/Dakar, Senegal Reuters A decade-long United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali is set to end on 30th June, diplomats said on Tuesday, ahead of a Security Council vote on a draft resolution – seen by Reuters – that will give the 13,000-strong operation six months to withdraw. The planned end of the MINUSMA mission […]
Renegade Russian mercenary Prigozhin is in Belarus – Lukashenko
Moscow, RussiaReuters Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin flew to Belarus from Russia on Tuesday after a mutiny that dealt the biggest blow to President Vladimir Putin’s authority since he came to power more than 23 years ago. Putin initially vowed to crush the mutiny, comparing it to the wartime turmoil that ushered in the revolution […]
Analysis – Mutiny lays bare prospect for Putin of ‘forever war’ in Ukraine
Kyiv, UkraineReuters An abortive mutiny in Russia has shown the risks the Kremlin faces from a long, grinding conflict in Ukraine even though it has not handed Kyiv an immediate breakthrough on the battlefield. Many questions still swirl after Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner forces returned to base after Friday’s mutiny, which was called […]
Russian mercenary chief says he did not intend coup, Putin thanks those who stood down
Reuters The boss of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, two days after leading an aborted mutiny, on Monday said he never intended to overthrow the government, while Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Wagner fighters who stood down. Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin gave few clues about his own fate, including his whereabouts, or the deal under which […]
Essay: Wagner’s mutiny punctured Putin’s ‘strongman’ image and exposed cracks in his rule
In an article first published on The Conversation, PETER RUTLAND, professor of government at Wesleyan University, looks at events in Russia on the weekend – and what the longer-term impacts may be…
Russian mercenaries return to bases after challenge to Putin’s authority
Rostov-on-Don/Voronezh, Russia Reuters Heavily armed Russian mercenaries withdrew from the southern Russian city of Rostov under a deal that halted their rapid advance on Moscow but raised questions on Sunday about President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power. Ending their short-lived mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group began heading back to their bases late on Saturday […]
Muscovites made uneasy by revolt, Ukrainians pleased at internal turmoil
Moscow, Russia/Kyiv, UkraineReuters Muscovites on Saturday expressed unease or dismissed as political theatre a standoff pitting the Kremlin against Wagner mercenaries who had vowed to descend on the capital in a “march of justice” denouncing the conduct of the war in Ukraine. Ukrainians, on the other hand, were clearly satisfied, sometimes gleeful, at the prospect […]
The Long Read: In Africa, France targets Russian and Wagner disinformation
JOHN IRISH, ELIZABETH PINEAU and BATE FELIX, of Reuters, report…
Rebel Russian mercenaries turn back short of Moscow “to avoid bloodshed”
Rostov-on-Don/Voronezh, RussiaReuters Heavily armed Russian mercenaries who advanced most of the way to Moscow began turning back on Saturday, de-escalating a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power, in a move their leader said would avoid bloodshed. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former Putin ally and founder of the Wagner army, said his men reached […]