World leaders take wait-and-see approach to developing situation in Russia

World leaders take wait-and-see approach to developing situation in Russia
by Simon Druker
Washington DC (UPI) Jun 24, 2023

World leaders are taking a wait and see approach Saturday as reaction pours in amid reports of a military revolt and possible coup in Russia by the leader of the mercenary Wagner Group.

The United States is in constant contact with the members of the Group of Seven as well as other American allies, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain as well as the European Union are the other G7 members, in addition to the United States.

President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany and reaffirmed the group's "unwavering" support for Ukraine, the White House said in a statement.

"The president is following the situation very closely. We remain focused on supporting Ukraine," a spokesperson for French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday, as the situation in Russia remains uncertain.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin of treason, vowing to punish the "internal treachery."

Prigozhin, a former chef and close Putin confidant, publicly rebuked the Russian military on Friday after a rocket strike killed hundreds of his private mercenary troops in Ukraine.

Prigozhin vowed to retaliate and is marching his troops north from the battlefield with Ukraine, towards Moscow, reportedly entering the key military city of Rostov-on-Don.

The Kremlin has denied reports that Putin fled the Russian capitol on a military jet.

"Closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds," European Council President Charles Michel Tweeted Saturday. "In touch with European leaders and G7 partners. This is clearly an internal Russian issue. Our support for Ukraine and [President Volodymyr Zelensky] is unwavering."

Germany's foreign office said it "will continue to monitor the situation and coordinate closely with our international partners."

International support for Ukraine has not wavered among its allies, with supporters calling the situation there an internal problem, while also calling for de-escalation.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday called on both sides to respect the safety of non-combatants, urging both Prigozhin and Russia to "be responsible and to protect civilians."

Other Western allies remain on alert.

"Latvia is closely following the developing situation in Russia and exchanging information with allies," Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs tweeted. "Border security has been strengthened, visa or border entry from Russians leaving Russia due to current events won't be considered. No direct threat to Latvia at this time."

South Korea said Saturday it has confirmed the safety of all of its citizens living or working in the city of Rostov-on-Don, home to Russia's southern military command. The city also housed Russian nuclear weapons.

"We are following the developments on what is happening in the last few hours in Russia," Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said Saturday, adding that it is hard to discern fact from fiction with so many conflicting reports coming out of the country.

Ukrainian authorities welcomed the infighting.

"Those who said Russia was too strong to lose: look now," Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said Saturday. "Time to abandon false neutrality and fear of escalation; give Ukraine all the needed weapons; forget about friendship or business with Russia. Time to put an end to the evil everyone despised but was too afraid to tear down."

Timeline: Mercenary group has been fighting in Ukraine since 2014
Washington DC (UPI) Jun 24, 2023 - The Wagner Group of mercenaries, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been fighting on Russia's behalf in Crimea and the Donbas region of Ukraine since 2014.

They have also been active in the Middle East, Mali and the Central African Republic. The group has been accused of repeated war crimes and human rights abuses.

Here are some key events in the group's recent involvement in the Ukraine war, leading to conflict with the Russian military over supplies and leadership that has escalated this weekend with Wagner forces seizing Russian military sites.

Saturday: The Wagner Group seizes military sites in southern Russia.

Friday: Prigozhin accused Russia of launching a missile strike on his troops and vowed retaliation. Russian authorities accused him of fomenting a coup.

June 10: The Russian military announced "volunteer formations" would need to sign contracts with the military.

June 2: Prigozhin gave an interview in which he lambasted the Russian minister of defense and the elites who shield their sons from battle.

May 26: The United States sanctions the Wagner Group for sourcing weapons through Mali.

May 25: Prigozhin announced Wagner has seized Bakhmut, Ukraine, and would turn it over to the Russian army.

May 5: Prigozhin threatened to pull his troops out of Bakhmut for lack of ammunition that was causing "useless and unjustified losses."

April 13: The European Union sanctions the Wagner Group for aiding Russia in the war.

March 3: On a secret trip to Ukraine, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland calls Prigozhin a war criminal.

Feb. 3: Ukraine presses war crimes charges against Prigozhin.

Jan. 26: The United States increases sanctions on Wagner.

Jan. 13: Wagner feuds with Russian officials over credit for battlefield successes.

Dec. 22: The United States announced its belief that North Korea had supplied arms to the Wagner Group and that "Wagner is emerging as a rival power center to the Russian military."

Aug. 15: Ukraine forces reported that they had wiped out Wagner's headquarters in eastern Ukraine.

Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin: Hot dog chef to inner circle to 'treason'
Washington DC (UPI) Jun 24, 2023 - The Wagner Group of private mercenaries marching Saturday on Russia is run by founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose journey from Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle to a foe accused of treason runs through Ukraine.

Born in St. Petersburg, then called Leningrad, in 1961, Prigozhin turned to petty crime in his youth and in 1981 was jailed for 12 years for armed robbery.

Prigozhin rose to prominence in the grocery and restaurant business during the 1990s, starting as a hot dog vendor before eventually becoming a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin after he took power in 1999.

During the 2000s, Prigozhin's catering company, Concordia Catering, started winning government contracts, earning him the nickname "Putin's Chef."

Wagner Mercenary Group first appeared on the international stage in 2014 during Russia's invasion of eastern Ukraine in the wake of the Maidan Revolution against the Russian-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Russian irregular forces, including Wagner, started appearing in eastern Ukraine to support Russian-backed separatists as the Crimea region was also seized by Russia.

During Russia's campaign to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Wagner forces were deployed to protect government forces and to try and conquer oilfields controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

In 2017, a Syrian who had refused to fight for Assad's military, Hamadi Bouta, was tortured and murdered on film by Wagner mercenaries.

In 2018, Wagner forces attacked the SDF and tried to seize the Conoco oil fields. The U.S. military responded with air power, reportedly killing a large number of Wagner fighters.

Wagner was deployed to Libya to support the Russian-backed breakaway government of Gen. Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army faction.

In Mali, Wagner has become a major player, backing the military government that took power in 2020. In 2022, Wager forces and pro-government Malian militia massacred hundreds of civilians in the village of Moura, according to Human Rights Watch.

In the wake of Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Wagner forces increasingly took on roles that had previously been reserved for the Russian military.

During the months-long battle for Bakhmut, Prigozhin openly condemned the Russian Ministry of Defense and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in videos uploaded to Wagner-affiliated Telegram channels. When Ukrainian forces finally withdrew from Bakhmut, Prigozhin took credit for the victory.

On Friday, Prigozhin accused the Russian military of bombing his forces in Ukraine.

Now with open conflict between Wagner and the Russian military, the decades-long relationship between Putin and Prigozhin brings uncertainty to both men.