The fragile truce that halted Prigozhin's armed revolt against the Kremlin seems to be falling apart

Source: Business Insider

The fragile truce that halted Prigozhin's armed revolt against the Kremlin seems to be falling apart already

Erin Snodgrass
Mon, June 26, 2023 at 7:51 PM EDT·4 min read

The Wagner revolt may be over, but the chaos in Russia has likely only begun.

In a brief and, at times, contradictory speech Monday night, Russian President Vladimir Putin cast doubt on the tenuous peace deal the Kremlin struck with Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday after the mercenary leader spearheaded a short-lived revolt against Russia's defense ministry.

Prigozhin, a one-time ally to Putin, shocked Russian civilians and international onlookers alike as he led a cadre of troops-for-hire in a "march of justice" over the weekend after alleging the Russian defense ministry conducted a missile strike that killed several Wagner soldiers.

The uprising represents the most damning challenge to Putin's regime in decades. It was only averted when Prigozhin turned his troops back a mere 120 miles outside of Moscow after the Kremlin said it would drop any criminal charges against the former chef, who agreed in turn to be exiled to neighboring Belarus.

But by Monday, that agreement appeared precarious as Prigozhin renewed his rants against the Russian defense ministry and Putin offered conflicting comments about the coming consequences for those involved in the mutiny.

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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/fragile-truce-halted-prigozhins-armed-235110297.html