
Emmi Korhonen/Lehtikuva/AFP/Getty Imagesīlinken says Wagner insurrection shows 'cracks' emerging in Putin's rule US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a speech at the Helsinki City Hall in Helsinki, Finland, on June 2, 2023. Neither the Kremlin nor Belarusian officials could say where he was on Sunday.Īccording to the deal described by the Kremlin and the Belarusian government, Prigozhin has agreed to leave Russia for neighboring Belarus. The typically outspoken oligarch has been quiet about the Minsk-brokered deal, which would see him sent to Belarus and his troops absorbed by the Russian military. The fate of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin – who led the provocative march and seizure of cities along the way – remains murky.


Putin must now navigate the aftermath of the most serious challenge to his authority since he came to power over 20 years ago, which appeared to have him on the back foot for a day and half.

The immediate risk of bloodshed appears to have dissipated, but much remains uncertain experts warn that the rare uprising is still likely to have consequences down the line. Russia glimpsed the threat of armed insurrection over the weekend, with Wagner Group mercenaries marching toward Moscow as President Vladimir Putin vowed retribution – all before a sudden deal seemed to defuse the crisis as rapidly as it had emerged.
