TRUCE:  In the last week or so, the world watched, with a mixture of fascination and horror, as a private army within Russia, the Wagner group, moved toward Moscow in what many believed was an attempt to overthrow the Russian military leadership and the Russian government of Vladimir Putin, which Wagner's leaders felt betrayed them.  But by yesterday, the crisis appeared to be over. 

Wagner's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is a former chef.  Wagner is kind of the Wendy's Delicious Fighting Force and Grill.  Prigozhin, no doubt with his own neck in mind, has accepted a deal to end the rebellion.  From CBS News: 

The chief of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Saturday that he'd agreed to halt his forces' "movement inside Russia, and to take further steps to de-escalate tensions," in an agreement brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. 

The Wagner group boss earlier ordered his forces to march toward Moscow after unleashing a long series of videotaped remarks threatening to topple Russia's military leadership, which he blasted as having misled the country and Russian President Vladimir Putin himself about the Ukraine war. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media late Saturday night that as part of the deal, Prigozhin will move to Belarus, and a Russian criminal case launched on Friday into his actions will be dropped. Wagner fighters who took part in the march towards Moscow would also not be prosecuted, Peskov said.

Putin worked from the Kremlin all day Saturday, according to Peskov, who added that Russia's invasion of Ukraine would not be impacted by the infighting. 

The Wagner boss's actions drew an accusation of a "rebellion" from Putin earlier in the day, though the Russian leader did not name Prigozhin individually. Prigozhin didn't say whether the Kremlin had responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.  

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Putin, held two meetings to negotiate a deal that includes "security guarantees for the Wagner PMC fighters," a news release published by Belarus' state-run news agency said. The Kremlin confirmed the discussions between Putin and Lukashenko had taken place.

Prigozhin said on his official Telegram channel that he had agreed to turn his mercenary forces back, "realizing all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood will be shed." He said his forces had marched to within 120 miles of Moscow without shedding a "single drop of the blood of our fighters." 

COMMENT:  A private army?  In the 21st century?  What's next, the Sara Lee Submarine Force?  What is so chilling is that Russia has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, and it might have fallen under the control of rebels.  What's also chilling is that the Russian government now has the image of incompetence and instability.  If Wagner did not succeed in overthrowing it, someone else might.

I'm guessing that this story of Russian weakness is far from over.

June 24, 2023