Wagner forces appear to still be operating in conflict areas in Ukraine even as the whereabouts of the mercenary group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin are unclear after his short-lived mutiny inside Russia.
The ruble opened weaker versus the dollar in early trading and elsewhere in global markets there were few signs of alarm. Prigozhin’s turnaround from his advance toward Moscow defused the biggest threat to President Vladimir Putin’s almost quarter-century grip on power.
Latest Coverage
- Putin Faces Historic Threat to Absolute Grip on Power in Russia
- Blinken Says Wagner Uprising Is ‘Direct Challenge’ to Putin
- China Backs Russian ‘National Stability’ Move as Diplomats Meet
- Silence Cloaks Kremlin After Russian Mutiny Against Putin
- Russia’s Descent Into Chaos Marks a ‘Good Day’ for Ukraine
- What Is Russia’s Wagner Group and Why Was It Accused of Mutiny?
All times are CET
Shoigu Surfaces to Visit Ukraine Front (7:03 a.m.)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited the Ukraine front and heard the report of the western grouping of Russian armed forces, according to Interfax news service.
This is the first time the ministry reported on his whereabouts since the mutiny by Prigozhin, who demanded removal of Shoigu and army Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov.
The statement, as reported by Russian news wires, had no mention of its timing.
Ruble Weakens in Early Trade, Markets Calm (6:06 a.m.)
The ruble weakened over 2% to around the 87 per dollar level in early trading Monday. Local banks had priced the currency at over 100 rubles on Saturday as tensions grew, the highest since early in the Ukraine invasion, before bringing rates back after Prigozhin halted his advance toward Moscow.
The currency has fallen more than 12% this year.
Elsewhere in global markets there were few signs of alarm, with stocks little changed and currency trading mixed. Shares of Russian aluminum producer United Co. Rusal International PJSC fell as much as 2.9% in Hong Kong before paring losses on Monday.
Australia to Provide Aid Package to Kyiv (4:27 a.m.)
Australia said it would provide a package of aid valued at about $74 million to Ukraine in response to its request for vehicles and ammunition.
Australia Pressured to Use Russia War Windfall to Help Ukraine
China Backs Russian ‘National Stability’ (2:12 a.m.)
China said it supports Russia’s actions to maintain national stability in a brief statement by a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who described the weekend’s mutiny as “Russia’s internal affair.”
The statement came after Foreign Minister Qin Gang met in Beijing with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. It expanded on an earlier comment from Beijing that the pair had exchanged views on international and regional issues of common interest.
The latest events in Russia were covered by Chinese state media, with the People’s Daily and CCTV both running stories as the news developed. Global Times published an article by former editor-in-chief Hu Xijin analyzing what scenarios the uprising could lead to, including regime change.
China Backs Russian ‘National Stability’ as Diplomats Meet
Wagner Group Remains in Luhansk, Ukraine Says (1:30 a.m.)
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said he’s not seeing any exodus of Wagner’s group from the Luhansk region, where its main forces are concentrated.
“My understanding is that they haven’t completed initial tasks and agreements yet and they don’t have a vision of new logistics,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg.
There’s a need to wait and assess possible changes in Russia’s military, as the Wagner’s group was “really much more aggressive and competent on the battlefields,” he said.
Biden, Zelenskiy Discuss Wagner Mutiny (9:33 p.m.)
Zelenskiy said he discussed a “further expansion of defense cooperation” with US President Joe Biden in a phone call, including air defense and long-range weapons.
“The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored,” he said on Twitter.