Rebellion in Russia: How the revolt led by ‘Putin’s Chef’ unfolded
The Wagner Group staged a rebellion in Russia, in what has been the greatest domestic challenge to Vladimir Putin since he took power.
The Russian mercenaries surged most of the way to Moscow before their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin called off the advance and ordered them to turn back to “avoid bloodshed”.
Here is how one of the most dramatic days in recent Russian history unfolded.
Yevgeny Prigozhin leaving Rostov
Friday
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner Group boss, releases a video stepping up his feud with Russia’s military top brass and for the first time rejects Vladimir Putin’s main justification for invading Ukraine.
In a series of audio recordings posted on Telegram, the man known as “Putin’s Chef” says the “evil” of Russia’s military leadership “must be stopped” and his mercenaries will “march for justice” against the Russian military.
Russia’s FSB security service responds by opening a criminal case against Prigozhin, saying he has called for “armed mutiny”.
The deputy commander of Russia’s Ukraine campaign, General Sergei Surovikin, urges Wagner to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases.
The route taken by the Wagner Group up towards Moscow
Saturday
Prigozhin says his men have crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to go “all the way” against
the Russian military.
Wagner fighters enter the southern Russian city of Rostov and appear to control the military headquarters that runs Russian operations in Ukraine.
The White House announces it is monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on developments.
The governor of Rostov Oblast tells residents to remain calm and stay indoors as it becomes clear that Wagner forces have taken control of the city of Rostov.
Russia’s Defence Ministry appeals to Wagner fighters to abandon Prigozhin, saying they have been “deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure”.
A Russian security source says Wagner mercenaries have taken control of all military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 300 miles south of Moscow.
Putin makes a televised address vowing to crush what he calls an armed mutiny. He accuses Prigozhin of “treason” and a “stab in the back”.
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Putin accuses Prigozhin of treason
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a close Putin ally, says his forces are ready to help put down the rebellion using harsh methods if necessary.
European governments including Britain, France, Germany and Italy all issue statements saying they are closely watching developments in Russia.
Russian military helicopters open fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than half way to Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing Rostov overnight.
Firefighters battle a blaze at an oil depot
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says “Russia’s weakness is obvious” and the longer Moscow keeps its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine, the more chaos it will invite back home.
Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, says it is clear that Prigozhin’s attempt to destabilise society and ignite a fratricidal civil war has failed.
Read more:
Russia civil unrest triggered by Wagner mercenary mutiny offers hope to Ukrainians
The former hot dog seller and thug who became Wagner boss at centre of mutiny
Prigozhin’s rebellion triggers Putin’s most serious domestic crisis since his invasion of Ukraine
Moscow’s soldiers set up a machine gun position on the southwest edge of the capital, photographs also show armed police gathering at the point where the M4 highway – which Wagner mercenaries are moving along – reaches the Russian capital.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks by telephone to Putin and urges him to act with common sense. Belarus issues a statement reaffirming its pro-Russia stance.
The White House says Joe Biden has spoken to the leaders of France, Germany and the UK, and that they have re-affirmed their support for Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also says he has spoken to G7 foreign ministers and the European Union high representative for foreign affairs.
Putin signs a law permitting 30-day detentions for breaking martial law in places where it has been imposed, the
RIA news agency reports.
Wagner mercenaries are promised an amnesty if they lay down their weapons “but they should do it fast”, the TASS news agency reports politician Pavel Krasheninnikov as saying.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry issues a statement warning Western countries against using the Wagner Group’s mutiny “to achieve their Russophobic goals”.
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Wagner leader’s audio message calling off advance
The office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says he has brokered a deal with Prigozhin who has agreed to de-escalate the situation.
Prigozhin says he has ordered his fighters advancing on Moscow in a convoy to turn around and return to their bases to avoid bloodshed. It is agreed he will not be prosecuted for the attempted coup and leave Russia for Belarus.
Pictures show Prigozhin and his Wagner troops being cheered as they leave Rostov.
US president-elect Donald Trump has suggested Israel and Hamas could agree a Gaza ceasefire by the end of the week.
Talks between Israeli and Hamas representatives resumed in the Qatari capital Doha yesterday, after US President Joe Biden indicated a deal to stop the fighting was “on the brink” on Monday.
A draft agreement has been sent to both sides. It includes provisions for the release of hostages and a phased Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.
Qatar says Israel and Hamas are at their “closest point” yet to a ceasefire deal.
Two Hamas officials said the group has accepted the draft agreement, with Israel still considering the deal.
An Israeli official said a deal is close but “we are not there” yet.
More than 46,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its ground offensive in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Read more:
What’s in the proposed deal?
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on beachfront cafe in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
Biden hails possibility of agreement
President Biden said it would include a hostage release deal and a “surge” of aid to Palestinians, in his final foreign policy speech as president.
“So many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed. Palestinian people deserve peace,” he said.
“The deal would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel, and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started.”
Qatari mediators have sent Israel and Hamas a draft proposal for an agreement to halt the fighting.
Analysis:
Deal might be close, but there are many unanswered questions
Pic: Reuters
Trump: ‘We’re very close’
President-elect Donald Trump has also discussed a possible peace deal during a phone interview with the Newsmax channel.
“We’re very close to getting it done and they have to get it done,” he said.
“If they don’t get it done, there’s going to be a lot of trouble out there, a lot of trouble, like they have never seen before.
“And they will get it done. And I understand there’s been a handshake and they’re getting it finished and maybe by the end of the week. But it has to take place, it has to take place.”
Read more:
Pope Francis honoured by Joe Biden
Donald Trump’s inauguration 2.0
Pic: AP
Israeli official: Former Hamas leader held up deal
Speaking on Tuesday as negotiations resumed in Qatar, an anonymous Israeli official said that an agreement was “close, but we are not there”.
They accused Hamas of previously “dictating, not negotiating” but said this has changed in the last few weeks.
“Yahya Sinwar was the main obstacle for a deal,” they added.
Sinwar, believed to be the mastermind of the 7 October attacks, led Hamas following the assassination of his predecessor but was himself killed in October last year.
Under Sinwar, the Israeli official claimed, Hamas was “not in a rush” to bring a hostage deal but this has changed since his death and since the IDF “started to dismantle the Shia axis”.
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Biden: ‘Never, never, never, ever give up’
Iran ‘weaker than it’s been in decades’
Yesterday, President Biden also hailed Washington’s support for Israel during two Iranian attacks in 2024.
“All told, Iran is weaker than it’s been in decades,” the president said.
Mr Biden claimed America’s adversaries were weaker than when he took office four years ago and that the US was “winning the worldwide competition”.
“Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are
weaker,” he said.
“We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”
The US president is expected to give a farewell address on Wednesday.
A draft ceasefire deal on the table between Israel and Hamas would see 33 hostages set free and a phased withdrawal of IDF forces from parts of Gaza.
President Joe Biden said an agreement to stop the fighting was “on the brink” and high level negotiations between the two sides resumed in Qatar on Tuesday.
The deal would see a number of things happen in a first stage, with negotiations for the second stage beginning in the third week of the ceasefire.
It would also allow a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been devastated by more than a year of war.
Details of what the draft proposal entails have been emerging on Tuesday, reported by Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages hold photos of their loved ones during a protest on 8 January. Pic: AP
Hostages to be returned
In the first stage of the potential ceasefire, 33 hostages would be set free.
These include women (including female soldiers), children, men over the age of 50, wounded and sick.
Israel believes most of these hostages are alive but there has not been any official confirmation from Hamas.
In return for the release of the hostages, Israel would free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
People serving long sentences for deadly attacks would be included in this but Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October attack would not be released.
An arrangement to prevent Palestinian “terrorists” from going back to the West Bank would be included in the deal, an anonymous Israeli official said.
Read more:
A timeline of events since the 7 October attacks
The hostages who still haven’t returned home
Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in Beit Hanoun in Gaza. Pic: Reuters
Phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
The agreement also includes a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, with IDF troops remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages.
Security arrangements would be implemented at the Philadelphi corridor – a narrow strip of land that runs along the border between Egypt and Gaza – with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.
The Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza would start to work gradually to allow the crossing of people who are sick and other humanitarian cases out of Gaza for treatment.
Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed to return to their homes, with a mechanism introduced to ensure no weapons are moved there.
“We will not leave the Gaza Strip until all our hostages are back home,” the Israeli official said.
What will happen to Gaza in the future?
There is less detail about the future of Gaza – from how it will be governed, to any guarantees that this agreement will bring a permanent end to the war.
“The only thing that can answer for now is that we are ready for a ceasefire,” the Israeli official said.
“This is a long ceasefire and the deal that is being discussed right now is for a long one. There is a big price for releasing the hostages and we are ready to pay this price.”
The international community has said Gaza must be run by Palestinians, but there has not been a consensus about how this should be done – and the draft ceasefire agreement does not seem to address this either.
In the past, Israel has said it will not end the war leaving Hamas in power. It also previously rejected the possibility of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited governing powers in the West Bank, from taking over the administration of Gaza.
Since the beginning of its military campaign in Gaza, Israel has also said it would retain security control over the territory after the fighting ends.
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