Moscow | The latest on the armed rebellion declared by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin:
The rebellious Russian mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow said he was responding to an attack on his camps in Ukraine on Friday by rival forces from the Russian military.
The US had intelligence, however, that Yevgeny Prigozhin was building up his Wagner forces near the border with Russia for some time.
Officials briefed congressional leaders known as the Gang of Eight on the buildup earlier in the week, a person familiar with the matter said. The person was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The US intelligence briefing was first reported by CNN.
The military preparations raise questions about Prigozhin's explanation for why he seemingly spontaneously sent his forces into Russia and whether he had instead long been planning a challenge to Russia's military leadership.
Wagner troops have played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticised the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions.
Russian media reported late Saturday that several helicopters and a military communications plane were downed by Wagner troops during the short-lived uprising.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin previously said his forces had taken control of the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, as well as other military facilities in the city without any deaths or even “a single gunshot.” The Kremlin referred the question about the losses to the Defence Ministry, which has kept mum.
The head of the private Russian military company Wagner will move to neighbouring Belarus as part of deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin said Saturday.
Yevgeny Prigozhin's troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defence Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
After the deal was reached, Prigozhin said he was ordering his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops.
US President Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday about the situation in Russia.
According to a statement from the White House, the four leaders reaffirmed their “unwavering” support for Ukraine during the conversation. However, the White House said US officials were wary of weighing in further on the situation and "wanted to avoid any comment that could be misconstrued to suggest the US was taking a side in the apparently internal conflict.”
The governor of the region surrounding Russia's capital has suspended mass public events outdoors and at educational institutions until July 1.
Gov. Andrei Vorobyov issued a decree with the bans on Saturday as the chief of private Russian military company Wagner said his mercenaries were heading to Moscow in an armed rebellion against Russia's defense minister.
The governor's decree doesn't apply to the city itself but the surrounding areas.
However, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital as part of the counter-terrorism operation prompted by the rebellion.
The counter-terrorism operation allows authorities to tighten security, impose curbs on traffic and communications, and to conduct searches without warrants.
There was no immediate word of whether a curfew would be imposed.
The mayor also declared Monday a non-working day for most people, with the exception of public servants and employees of some industrial enterprises.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned the West against trying to take advantage of the rebellion led by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The ministry said in a statement Saturday that “we are cautioning Western countries against even a hint of using the internal situation in Russia for achieving their Russophobic goals.” It argued that the mutiny plays into the hands of Russia's enemies and said that the Russian public stands behind President Vladimir Putin.
The ministry said that Moscow appreciates its allies and partners voicing their understanding of the situation.
