As of about 3 p.m. EDT, links below are to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Post, National Public Radio, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Finally for today, a link to an editorial in Le Monde, first as translated into English by that newspaper and then in French. NOTE: Owing to the breaking nature of today’s news from Russia and Ukraine (mostly Russia) some reports linked here are being replaced by links to later ones. — MCM
– – –
Wagner chief says he ordered his Russian mercenaries to halt march on Moscow and rcturn to Ukraine. From AP. A rebellious mercenary commander said today he ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, appearing to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis. Moscow had braced for the arrival of forces from the Wagner Group, a private army led by Yevgeny Prigozhin that has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine, by erecting . . . Click HERE to read more in English, and HERE to read in Spanish.
– – –
Rebel Russian mercenaries barrel towards Moscow. From Reuters. * Wagner forces in control of Rostov * Reuters journalists see column advancing past Voronezh * Helicopters open fire on convoy * Moscow accuses Prigozhin of calling for armed mutiny | ROSTOV-ON-DON/VORONEZH, Russia — Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters barrelled towards Moscow today after seizing a southern city overnight, with Russia’s military firing on them from the air but seemingly incapable of slowing their . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Moscow braces for rebel assault as rebels defy Putin rage. From AFP. Rebel mercenaries advanced north towards Moscow after seizing a key military base today, just as Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s vowed to defeat the revolt and head off the threat of civil war. The rapidly escalating events . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Attempted military coup in Russia – situation at midday, Moscow time. From the Kyiv Post. Overnight, Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenary Wagner army moved out of eastern Ukraine and took control of Rostov on Don, a key Russian military planning center for its war against Ukraine, complete with an air base. Prigozhin says his forces shot down Russian military helicopters which were sent to attack his forces. Significantly, in Russia, his entry into Rostov was not opposed by the Russian security forces. Prigozhin appears to be holding several key officers as de facto hostages and . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Putin accuses Wagner Group of a treasonous ‘military uprising’ in Russia. Reported by Miles Parks, Charles Maynes and Greg Myre | NPR The latest on a developing situation in Russia involving the high-profile leader of a mercenary group that’s been key in Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. Click HERE to listen, and HERE to read a later story.
– – –
Prigozhin says captured south Russia army HQ ‘without a single shot.’ From AFP. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, leading a mutiny to bring down Moscow’s top brass, said today his fighters captured the army HQ in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don “without firing a single shot” and claimed to have the support of locals. Prigozhin’s fighters crossed into Russia from occupied Ukraine overnight and took the army HQ in the southern city, which serves as a key operational hub for Moscow’s forces in Ukraine. READ MORE . . .
– – –
Putin slams ‘betrayal’ as Wager boss launches revolt. From AFP. President Vladimir Putin vowed today he would not allow Russia to slip into civil war, after the leader of the Wagner mercenary force seized a key military headquarters overseeing the offensive in Ukraine. The rapidly moving events mark the most serious challenge yet to the Kremlin chief’s long rule and Russia’s most serious security crisis since he . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Medvedev highlights need to rally around president. From Tass. MOSCOW — Preventing a national split requires rallying around Russian President Vladimir Putin, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said today. “Rallying around our president and the supreme commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces is crucial for defeating the external and internal enemy, which seeks . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Prigozhin, the mercenary chief urging an uprising against Russia’s generals, has long ties to Putin, by Ellen Knickmeyer | AP Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russia’s war in Ukraine. As the leader of a mercenary . . . Click HERE to read in English, and HERE to read a Spanish version.
– – –
Putin califica de ‘traición’ la rebelión del jefe del Grupo Wagner. De AP. El presidente de Rusia, Vladímir Putin, prometió el sábado que defenderá su país frente a la rebelión armada declarada por el propietario del contratista militar privado Grupo Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, que dirigió a de sus tropas desde Ucrania hasta una ciudad clave al sur de Moscú. El ejército privado de Prigozhin parece controlar el cuartel general militar en Rostov del Don, desde donde se gestionan las operaciones en Ucrania, según . . . LEA MÁS . . .
– – –
Moscú pide a residentes no utilizar coches tras rebelión declarada por Prigozhin. De AP. El alcalde de Moscú advirtió el sábado que el tráfico podría estar restringido en partes de la capital rusa como parte de las medidas para reforzar la seguridad que se adoptaron en respuesta a una rebelión de mercenarios que trabajan en la empresa militar privada Grupo Wagner. El alcalde Sergei Sobyanin pidió a los residentes . . . LEA MÁS . . .
– – –
Putin’s Russia exposed for the world to see. An editorial from Le Monde. The opening of a second front is rarely advocated in military manuals when the first, currently the scene of a delicate Ukrainian counteroffensive, is still a long way from being stabilized. What can be said when this second front is an internal one . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
La mise à nu de la Russie de Poutine. Un éditorial du Monde. L’ouverture d’un second front est rarement prônée page les manuels militaires lorsque le premier, actuellement théâtre d’une délicate contre-offensive ukrainienne, est encore bien loin d’avoir été stabilisé. Que dire lorsque ce second front est intérieur . . . LISEZ PLUS . . .