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Six days after the Wagner mutiny: 30 June 2023
Summary
A look back at the days around the rebellion in Russia and the news that reached Kyiv's allies and the front line.
What did the end of a week of upheaval look like from Kyiv? On 30 June 2023, the shockwaves of the Wagner Group rebellion were still settling, while Ukraine's own news ran on separate tracks: battlefield gains, foreign aid and a surprise visitor.
The rebellion and its settlement
On 24 June, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, warned that his troops would march on Moscow unless Russian military leadership met him for talks. Russian president Vladimir Putin addressed the nation and said a coup d'état attempt was under way.
The crisis ended the same day. Wagner withdrew after Prigozhin, Putin and Belarus's president Alexander Lukashenko negotiated a deal. As later accounts of the episode put it, the criminal case against Prigozhin for armed rebellion was to be closed, Wagner would move to field camps, and Prigozhin himself would go to Belarus.
On 27 June, Lukashenko confirmed that Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus, in line with the agreement reached with the Russian government.
The front and foreign support
While Moscow dealt with the mutiny, Ukraine's military reported progress on the ground. On 26 June, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had recaptured the uninhabited village of Rivnopil in Donetsk Oblast. She described it as the ninth village retaken in the past month.
The same day, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a AU$110 million military aid package for Ukraine.
A visitor in Kyiv
On 29 June, the day before the date covered here, former US vice president Mike Pence made an unexpected visit to Kyiv.
What the week showed
Taken together, the reports from 24 to 29 June show a week in which Russia's internal crisis was resolved by negotiation within a day, with its leading figure sent to Belarus, while Ukraine continued to record local gains and to receive new military assistance and high-profile visitors.
