2023-06-25 14:51:00
After the abrupt end of their uprising, the Wagner mercenaries continue their retreat. They have already left Lipetsk, and according to the governor, the withdrawal from Voronezh is proceeding without incident. Security measures are still in place around Moscow.
After the end of the uprising of the Wagner troops, the units withdrew from the affected regions, according to the authorities. They’re slowly trying to get back to normal.
Like in Voronezh – regarding 500 kilometers south of Moscow. The regional governor there, Alexander Gusev, reports on the withdrawal of the Wagner troops. “The units of the Wagner paramilitary group are completing their retreat in the Voronezh region,” he told Telegram. Everything is going “normally and without incident”. As soon as the situation has finally been clarified, all restrictions on the civilian population that have been in place so far are to be lifted.
The Voronezh region bordering Ukraine was a target of the Wagner Group uprising, which later ended surprisingly. Little is known regarding the incidents in Voronezh on Saturday. The Russian military was deployed in the region, and the army had reported “combat operations”. During the uprising, a fuel depot caught fire for reasons that have not yet been clarified. According to local information, the fire might only be extinguished during the night.
Apparently quiet location in Rostov
The Wagner fighters had already withdrawn from the city of Rostov in south-west Russia on Saturday evening. Video footage from the AP news agency in Rostov showed people cheering for the Wagner mercenaries as they marched away. Some ran up to Prigozhin in an SUV to shake his hand. The governor of the region later said that all the mercenaries had left the city.
It was quiet in Rostov on Sunday morning following the mercenaries left, the Russian state news agency RIA reported. On their video via Telegram, a man was sweeping the street and cars were driving through the city. On Saturday, pictures of the Wagner troops in battle tanks dominated the scene in various parts of the city. During the course of Saturday, the mercenaries also penetrated into the Russian region of Lipetsk, around 400 kilometers south of Moscow. According to the regional administration, they also withdrew from there. Governor Igor Artamonov announced on the Telegram news channel that the Wagner fighters had left his administrative area.
Moscow sticks to measures
In Moscow, however, there is little evidence of the “anti-terrorist warning” that was issued when the uprising began and nominally remained in force following the agreement was reached. In the city, it feels “as if nothing had happened,” reported ARD correspondent Ina jerk. “Traffic is running normally, people are going for walks.” You don’t notice anything and I didn’t notice much yesterday either. According to Ruck, there were a little more police on the streets, but there wasn’t much of the “anti-terrorist measures” except at the city’s exits. It feels like “there was such a spook and now it’s all over,” says Ruck. “You act as if everything is normal – but of course nothing is normal here at the moment.”
Allegedly shot down by Russian helicopters
According to the dpa news agency, several Russian military bloggers claim that several Russian soldiers were said to have been killed during the Wagner Group uprising. The figures range from 13 to 20 dead. Accordingly, several helicopters and a manned reconnaissance aircraft were shot down by Wagner fighters. There was no confirmation of this from the Russian authorities.
Power struggle had escalated
On Friday evening and Saturday, the power struggle between the head of the Russian Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and the Russian military leadership escalated. Wagner fighters invaded Russia from Ukraine with the aim of overthrowing the military leadership in Moscow and seized the southern Russian army headquarters in Rostov.
On Saturday evening, mediated by the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin surprisingly reported a U-turn and announced the withdrawal of his fighters. In exchange for ending their uprising, Prigozhin and his fighters will not be prosecuted, according to the Kremlin. Prigozhin himself is to leave for Belarus.
Prigozhin criticized Shoigu for months
For months, Prigozhin had sharply criticized the military leadership around Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valeri Gerasimov, accusing them of incompetence. On Friday, he accused Shoigu of attacking the Wagner mercenaries from the air, killing many fighters. He also openly opposed Putin. Prigozhin also demanded the dismissal of Shoigu and Gerasimov.
The power struggle escalated during a potentially crucial phase of the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian army recently launched its long-awaited offensive to recapture Russian-held territories.
With information from Stephan Laack, ARD Studio Moscow
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