CANBERRA, June 26, 2023 (AFP) — Russia’s bid to build a new embassy near Australia’s parliament suffered a legal blow on Monday, with a top court backing the government’s effort to seize the land. Australia has blocked Russia from building a new embassy in Canberra, after intelligence agencies warned it could be used as a base to spy on lawmakers. Russia last week launched a last-minute injunction to hold on to the land, while dispatching […]
Europe
US spy agencies detected early signs of Russia revolt: media
WASHINGTON, June 25, 2023 (AFP) – US spy agencies picked up signs days ago that mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was preparing to rise up against Russia’s defense establishment, US media reported on Saturday. Intelligence officials conducted briefings at the White House, the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill about the potential for unrest in nuclear-armed Russia a full day before it unfolded, the Washington Post and New York Times reported. Spy agencies first began tracking indications […]
Rebel Wagner chief evades charges, seeks refuge in Belarus, alleviating Russia’s security crisis
MOSCOW, June 25, 2023 (AFP) – The chief of the rebel Wagner mercenary force will go to Belarus and will not face charges after calling off his troops’ advance on Moscow, the Russian government said, easing the country’s most serious security crisis in decades. The feud between Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russia’s military brass came to a violent head in the past day, with his forces capturing a key army headquarters in southern Russia […]
Wagner forces leave Russia’s Rostov-on-Don: regional governor
MOSCOW, June 24, 2023 (AFP) – Fighters from the Wagner mercenary group have left the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don with their leader Yevegeny Prigozhin, the regional governor said early Sunday. “A Wagner column left Rostov and headed to their field camps,” governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram. On Saturday they seized control of a key military base there.
Wagner chief to quit Russia in deal to end crisis: Kremlin
MOSCOW, June 24, 2023 (AFP) – Militia leader Yevgeny Prigozhin who turned his Wagner force against the military leadership in Moscow, will leave for Belarus and a criminal case against him will be dropped, the Kremlin said Saturday. “Avoiding bloodshed, internal confrontation, and clashes with unpredictable results was the highest goal,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Under the agreement, brokered by Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko, Wagner fighters will not be prosecuted, Peskov added. “We […]
Belarus says Wagner rebellion in Russia a ‘gift’ to West
MOSCOW, June 24, 2023 (AFP) – Russia’s close ally Belarus said Saturday that the armed insurrection underway by the Wagner mercenary group was a “gift” to Western countries, warning the uprising could spell “disaster”. “Any provocation, any internal conflict in military or political circles, in the information field or in civil society is a gift to the collective West,” the Belarusian foreign ministry said, citing a statement by Minsk’s Security Council. Developing…
US to coordinate with allies amid Russia crisis: State Dept
WASHINGTON, June 24, 2023 (AFP) – Washington will stay “in close coordination” with its Group of Seven allies amid the unfolding crisis in Russia, where Wagner mercenaries launched a mutiny, officials said Saturday. “The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop,” State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement, adding that support for Ukraine “will not change.” Developing…
Putin says has Turkey’s ‘full support’ after call on Wagner mutiny
MOSCOW, June 24, 2023 (AFP) – Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced full support for Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phonecall to discuss the Wagner mercenary group’s armed insurrection in Russia, the Kremlin said Saturday. “The president of Russia gave information about the situation in the country in connection with an attempted armed rebellion. The president of the republic of Turkey expressed full support for the steps taken by the Russian leadership,” the Kremlin […]
Chechen leader says sending units to ‘zones of tension’ amid Wagner mutiny
MOSCOW, June 24, 2023 (AFP) – The strongman leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced Saturday he had sent Chechen units to “zones of tension” in Russia, after Wagner mercenaries launched a mutiny in the country. “Defence ministry and National Guard fighters of the Chechen Republic have already left for the zones of tension,” Kadyrov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said on Telegram. “The rebellion must be put down, and if harsh measures are […]
Developing story: Prigozhin says captured south Russia army HQ without ‘a single shot’
MOSCOW, June 24, 2023 (AFP) – Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, leading a mutiny to bring down Moscow’s top brass, said Saturday 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. “Why does […]
Developing story: Putin working in the Kremlin as mutiny ongoing: spokesman
MOSCOW, June 24, 2023 (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is working as normal in the Kremlin, his spokesman said Saturday, after the Russian Wagner mercenary group vowed to topple the country’s senior military leadership. “The president is working in the Kremlin,” his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, after Wagner units claimed to have captured military installations in southern Russia.
Tanks and armed Wagner rebels deploy in southern Russia town
ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia, June 24, 2023 (AFP) – The sound of ambulance and police sirens filled the air on Saturday in Rostov-on-Don — a hub for Russia’s Ukraine campaign — where the rebellious Wagner mercenary force said it had taken over key facilities. At a major intersection in the city centre, an armoured car with a machine gun and around a dozen men in military fatigues with silver armbands could be seen. Armoured personnel carriers and […]