By This was CNBC’s live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine on June 23-24, 2023. See here for the latest updates.
Less than 24 hours after Wagner Group mercenaries took control of the strategic southern city of Rostov and began an armed convoy march towards Moscow, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin abruptly announced late Saturday that his violent, attempted insurrection was over.
“The moment has come when blood may spill. That’s why, understanding the responsibility for spilling Russian blood on one of the sides, we are turning back our convoys and going back to field camps according to the plan,” Prigozhin said on an official Telegram channel.
Within a few hours of the statement, Wagner mercenaries in Rostov were filmed climbing into their trucks and departing the city. As they did, civilians took selfies with the Wagner troops and cheered for them.
The apparent end of Wagner’s march on Moscow came as the result of a deal reached between Prigozhin and the Kremlin, brokered by an unlikely intermediary: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
In exchange for his turning back, the criminal case against Prigozhin had been dropped, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian reporters, according to the state controlled outlet TASS.
Prigozhin himself “will go to Belarus,” Peskov said, describing what appeared to be a sort of official exile.
Wagner mercenaries who participated in Prigozhin’s “walk” would not be prosecuted, said Peskov, citing their service to Russia so far in the Ukraine war. Instead, they would be given the opportunity to sign contracts to join the Russian military, ostensibly to return to the fight in Ukraine, TASS reported.
At first glance, the deal appeared to signal the end of the Wagner Group, and the integration of its fighters into the Russian armed forces.
Peskov also said Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be delivering an address or live comments on the events of the past 24 hours.
Putin’s absence from the public eye as his grip on power faced its greatest challenge was yet another remarkable detail of the failed insurrection.
The criminal charges against Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will be dropped and he will go to Belarus, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Saturday, according to Russian state media.
Russian authorities will not prosecute members of the Wagner that participated in the rebellion, and the PMC fighters who refused to participate in Prigozhin’s “campaign” will sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense, Peskov said.
There will be no new televised address from Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Peskov said the leader continued to work in the Kremlin all day.
Peskov said the rebellion will not affect the course of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in any way.
— Ashley Capoot
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko permission to hold negotiations with Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday, according to a release from Lukashenko’s administration.
The negotiations lasted all day, and the sides agreed it was “unacceptable to start a bloodbath in Russia’s territory,” the release said. Prigozhin also agreed to halt Wagner’s advance and take steps to further de-escalate tensions during the talks.
“At present an absolutely advantageous and acceptable variant to defuse the situation is available, including safety guarantees for fighters of the private military company Wagner,” Belarus officials said.
— Ashley Capoot
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said Saturday he is standing down and turning back Wagner Group convoys, according to a post on Telegram.
“They were going to dismantle PMC Wagner,” he said. “We came out on 23 June to the March of Justice. In a day, we walked to nearly 200km away from Moscow. In this time, we did not spill a single drop of blood of our fighters. Now, the moment has come when blood may spill. That’s why, understanding the responsibility for spilling Russian blood on one of the sides, we are turning back our convoys and going back to field camps according to the plan.”
— Ashley Capoot
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for leadership and support for Ukraine in a Telegram post on Saturday.
He said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin “is probably hiding somewhere,” and is likely no longer in Moscow.
“Today the world saw that the masters of Russia do not control anything. Nothing at all. Just complete chaos. Complete lack of any predictability,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine will be able to protect Europe from Russian forces, regardless of who commands them.
— Ashley Capoot
President Joe Biden on Saturday spoke with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to a statement from the White House.
The leaders expressed their “unwavering” support for Ukraine and discussed the ongoing situation in Russia, according to the statement.
— Ashley Capoot
The Russian Foreign Ministry warned Western nations against taking advantage of the ongoing situation in Russia, according to a statement Saturday.
The ministry said that the “attempted armed rebellion” in the country “plays into the hands of Russia’s external enemies.”
“We warn the Western countries against any hint of possible use of the domestic Russian situation to achieve their Russophobic goals,” the ministry said in the statement. “Such attempts are futile and will not find a response either in Russia or among sensible political forces abroad.”
The ministry said Russia will find a solution to the conflict in the “near future.”
“Our country will continue its sovereign course to ensure its security, protect its values, strengthen its prestige in the international arena, and form a just multipolar world order,” it said.
— Ashley Capoot
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone, his administration said in a tweet Saturday.
Erdoğan addressed the ongoing situation in Russia and urged parties to act with “common sense.” He said Turkey is ready to help ensure the incidents are “resolved in a calm and peaceful manner,” according to the tweet.
— Ashley Capoot
Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said that the situation in the city is “difficult,” according to a Telegram post on Saturday.
He said Monday will be a “non-working day” in order to minimize risk, and he asked residents to refrain from traveling around the city as much as possible.
— Ashley Capoot
President Joe Biden was briefed on the ongoing situation in Russia again Saturday morning, a White House official told NBC News.
The official added that the Biden administration is continuing to monitor developments.
— Ashley Capoot
PMC Wagner equipment is reportedly moving around the Lipetsk region, Governor Igor Artamonov said via Telegram Saturday.
This means the private army is getting closer to the Russian capital of Moscow.
“Law enforcement agencies and authorities, including those in municipalities, are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population,” Artamonov said.
— Ashley Capoot
Russia’s neighboring nations are tightening security around their borders as tensions rise between Russian officials and the mercenary Wagner Group.
Edgars Rinkēvičs, minister of foreign affairs in Latvia, wrote in a tweet Saturday that border entry or visas from Russians attempting to leave the country “won’t be considered.”
He said Latvia is “closely following” the situation and that there is “no direct threat” to the country at this time.
Kaja Kallas, prime minister of Estonia, said Saturday that border security has been strengthened. She urged people not to travel to “any part” of Russia.
“I can assure that there is no direct threat to our country,” she wrote in a tweet.
— Ashley Capoot
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday morning that he spoke with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and G-7 Foreign Ministers about the fast-developing situation in Russia.
“The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop,” he wrote in a tweet.
— Ashley Capoot
Flights out of Moscow have reportedly sold out, according to the German news organization Der Spiegel.
Tickets for direct connections to Istanbul, Astana and Tbilisi from Moscow are not available.
— Ashley Capoot
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is now undergoing “so much chaos that no lie can hide it.”
“Russia’s weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later,” he said on Twitter.
— Christine Wang
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said Putin is “deeply wrong” and claimed he and his forces are “patriots,” according to an NBC News translation of his remarks.
“Regarding betraying of Motherland – the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our Motherland,” he said. “We are and have been at war and no one is going to by order of FSB, president or other to subdue – because we do not want our country to further live in corruption, deception and bureaucracy.”
The mercenary chief said his troops obeyed orders and fought in Africa and Ukraine, but he alleged they were hung out to dry when funds for aid or munitions were “plundered.” He accused bureaucrats of hoarding the money and arms for themselves “for the occasion that is happening today when someone is marching to Moscow.”
“So we are the patriots and those who oppose us – they are gathering around the scumbags,” he said, according to the NBC translation.
CNBC has not verified the claims.
— Christine Wang
Western Europe is monitoring developments in Russia and advised citizens against traveling to affected regions.
European Council President Charles Michel said he is closely monitoring the situation and is in touch with other European leaders and G7 partners. He said, “This is clearly an internal Russian issue.”
The U.K. updated their travel guidance on Saturday to remind citizens it continues to advise against travel to Russia. It noted military tensions in the Rostov region, as well as risk of further unrest in the country.
Reuters reported that Germany was similarly monitoring the situation and told citizens to avoid central Moscow. The news agency reported French President Emmanuel Macron was also following the situation closely.
— Christine Wang
Members of the mercenary Wagner Group were spotted in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, a key logistics hub for Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine. The chief of the paramilitary group has claimed control over the city. CNBC has not verified the claim.
-Getty Images
The U.K. Ministry of Defence said the feud between the Wagner Group and Russian security forces has “escalated into outright military confrontation.”
The agency said Wagner likely now holds key security sites in Rostov-on-Don, including the headquarters of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
The defense ministry said there’s little evidence of fighting between the mercenary forces and Russian security forces, suggesting that the latter are remaining “passive” or even “acquiescing” to Wagner.
It emphasized that the loyalty of Russian forces is paramount to how things play out, with the ministry calling this the “most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times.”
— Christine Wang
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for unity among forces as the mercenary Wagner Group rebels after what it said was a deliberate Russian strike against its troops.
In a televised address, Putin appealed to those who he said had been deceived and asked them to stop their criminal actions. He said those involved in the mutiny were committing treason.
He also described the situation in Rostov-on-Don as difficult, but vowed to stabilize the situation there.
— Christine Wang
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to deliver a televised address soon, state news agency TASS reported, citing Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov previously told TASS that Putin had been briefed on the Wagner situation and that “necessary measures are being taken.”
Earlier, the news agency reported that “counterterrorism measures” were in effect in Moscow and its surrounding region.
— Christine Wang
Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin demanded Russia’s top general Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu meet him in Rostov-on-Don, according to a Reuters translation of a video message posted on social media.
The city is one of Russia’s key logistical hubs for its war operations in Ukraine, according to Alexander Vindman, who previously served as the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council during the Trump administration. He was also a key witness in Donald Trump’s first impeachment.
A senior U.S. military official told NBC News that Prigozhin may not be trying to lead a coup against President Vladimir Putin, and could instead be targeting the removal of Shoigu and Gerasimov.
In a separate video, Prigozhin claimed that he and his forces have effectively taken control over the city.
— Christine Wang
The Biden administration has issued its first public response to the fast-moving developments in Russia.
“We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments,” Adam Hodge, a National Security Council spokesman, told NBC News.
Months of quiet feuding between the Kremlin and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Russia’s massive private military company Wagner Group, appeared to have spilled over on Friday when Prigozhin accused Russian military leaders of attacking his troops.
Prigozhin said his troops would “punish” Russia’s military leadership, prompting Russia’s prosecutor general to open an investigation into the mercenary commander for launching what it said was an “armed rebellion.”
— Christina Wilkie
Russia’s prosecutor general has opened a formal investigation into the owner of the private military company Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, for allegedly launching an “armed rebellion.”
“On June 23, 2023, the Investigation Department of the FSB of Russia legally and reasonably initiated a criminal case against E.V. Prigozhin under Article 279 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, on the fact of organizing an armed rebellion,” the prosecutor’s office posted on its official Telegram channel.
“His actions will be given a proper legal assessment,” the office said, adding that, “this crime is punishable by imprisonment for a term of 12 to 20 years.”
— Christina Wilkie
Russia’s primary intelligence service, the FSB, has issued a new statement urging Wagner Group mercenaries to refuse calls by company owner Evgeny Prigozhin for armed revenge against Kremlin military leadership.
“Prigozhin’s statements and actions amount to calls for the start of an armed civil conflict on Russian territory and are a ‘stab in the back’ for Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces,” the FSB said, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti.
“We call on PMC fighters not to make irreparable mistakes, to stop any forceful actions against the Russian people, not to carry out Prigozhin’s criminal and treacherous orders, to take measures to detain him,” the FSB said.
It was unclear where Prigozhin was at the time of this statement.
In Washington, spokespeople for the White House National Security Council and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the events that appeared to be unfolding in Russia.
— Christina Wilkie
Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said that his Wagner troops would “punish” Russian military leadership for having “destroyed many tens of lives of Russian soldiers.”
“The evil that the military leadership of the country bears must be stopped,” Prigozhin said in a series of audio messages on Wagner’s official Telegram channel, translated by Reuters.
“I ask no one to resist. Everyone who will try to put up a resistance … We will consider it a threat and destroy it immediately, including any roadblocks that get in our way, any aircraft that we see over our heads,” Prigozhin said. “I ask everyone to remain calm and not succumb to provocations, stay in their homes. It is advisable not to go outside along the route of our route,” he continued.
“We will deal with those who destroy Russian soldiers and return to the front. Justice in the troops will be restored, and after that – justice for all of Russia,” said Prigozhin.
The Kremlin has called Prigozhin’s recordings an “informational provocation.”
Russia’s domestic intelligence service, the FSB, said Friday that it had initiated a criminal probe of Prigozhin.
In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the developments in Russia.
— Christina Wilkie
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of accusations by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner private military company, that Russian troops attacked Wagner mercenaries who are fighting on Russia’s side in its invasion of Ukraine.
“Putin is aware of the situation around Prigozhin,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state broadcaster RIA. “All necessary measures are being taken.”
The Kremlin has denied the attack, which comes after months of rising tension between Putin and Prigozhin, who commands a private army of tens of thousands of troops.
A spokesman for the U.S. Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reports of a possible attempted coup by Prigozhin coming out of Russia.
— Christina Wilkie
The Kremlin is denying accusations by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin that Russian military forces deliberately fired missiles on his mercenary troops.
“All messages and video frames distributed on social networks on behalf of Yevgeny Prigozhin about the alleged ‘delivering of a blow by the RF Ministry of Defense on the rear camps of PMC Wagner’ do not correspond to reality and are an informational provocation,” the Russian Ministry of Defense told state media outlet RIA, according to a post on RIA’s official Telegram channel.
Prigozhin on Friday publicly accused the Kremlin of invading Ukraine on false pretenses. He said Russia’s military leadership “forgot justice,” and said he and his private army would “bring it back.”
— Christina Wilkie
Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner private military company, accused the Kremlin of deliberately attacking his mercenary troops, Reuters reports.
“A missile attack was launched on the camps of PMC Wagner. Many victims. According to eyewitnesses, the strike was delivered from the rear, that is, it was delivered by the military of the Russian Ministry of Defence,” Prigozhin posted in audio recordings on Wagner’s official Telegram channel.
He warned the company has “25,000” mercenary soldiers, many of them fighting for Russia in Ukraine.
“This is not a military coup,” said Prigozhin.
— Christina Wilkie
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the private Russian Wagner mercenary group, accused several senior Russian military leaders of fabricating the reason for invading Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Prigozhin has targeted Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, with several accusations, but for the first time spoke out against the main reason for invading Ukraine, the news service said.
“The war was needed … so that Shoigu could become a marshal … so that he could get a second ‘Hero’ [of Russia] medal. The war wasn’t needed to demilitarise or denazify Ukraine,” Prigozhin said in a video clip released on Telegram, according to Reuters.
Prigozhin, who has not yet directly criticized President Vladimir Putin, also said the war in Ukraine was to benefit the ruling elite, Reuters said.
—Chris Eudaily
Ukraine’s financial results have significantly improved year-on-year, the country’s finance minister Serhiy Marchenko said.
Budget revenues were up 45% in May of this year compared to the same period last year.
“In 2023, we have much better financial results than a year ago. Thanks to strong financial support and comprehensive measures implemented by the government, we ensure a balanced budget and financing of critical expenditures, primarily in the social sphere,” Marchenko said in a statement.
“Monetary and fiscal policies are under control,” he added.
— Natasha Turak
The U.S. imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence officers that worked to try and influence the outcome of a local election, the Treasury Department said. It did not specify which election in the U.S. the individuals in question — Yegor Sergeyevich Popov, 31, and Aleksei Borisovich Sukhodolov, 49 — allegedly interfered in.
Popov and Sukhodolov were described as being part of Russia’s Federal Security Service, the FSB, and “played a significant role in the Kremlin’s attempts to conduct global malign influence operations, including efforts to influence a local election in the United States,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.
“The United States will not tolerate threats to our democracy, and today’s action builds on the whole of government approach to protect our system of representative government,” Treasury official Brian Nelson said.
The sanctions freeze any assets that the sanctioned individuals hold in the U.S., and prohibit American entities and people from transacting with those individuals.
— Natasha Turak
Ukraine says its forces are advancing in the south and stopped a Russian offensive toward the eastern cities of Lyman and Kupiansk.
“We had very fierce battles in the Kupiansk and Lyman directions, but our soldiers stopped the enemy there,” Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar told media. CNBC was unable to verify details on the ground.
Russian authorities deny the claims of Ukrainian progress, and Russia’s forces still hold a large amount of territory in Ukraine’s east and south. Ukrainian military leaders admit that the most difficult fighting is yet to come as the country’s long-awaited counteroffensive has yet to make significant gains.
“Indeed, we still have the main events ahead of us,” Maliar said. “And the main blow is still to come. Indeed, some of the reserves — these are staged things — will be activated later.”
Both countries say the other has suffered heavy casualties, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that progress in the counteroffensive is slow so far.
— Natasha Turak
Photos show workers surveying a destroyed bridge next to the Svyatogirsk Orthodox Christian Monastery in the town of Svyatogirsk, Donetsk region on June 22, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
— Genya Savilov | Afp | Getty Images
NATO wrapped up its largest-ever joint air force exercise in Europe, the German-led “Air Defender 23”.
“The largest multinational air defence exercise in NATO’s history brings around 10,000 personnel and 250 aircraft from 25 countries, including around 100 aircraft from 35 different U.S. states, training together in the airspace over Europe,” NATO wrote on its website earlier this week.
The exercise exhibited a show of force likely meant to deter potential adversaries.
German officials have in the past said the exercise was “not targeted at anyone,” while U.S. Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann said it was meant to send a message to states like Russia.
“I would be pretty surprised if any world leader was not taking note of what this shows in terms of the spirit of this alliance, which means the strength of this alliance, and that includes Mr. Putin,” Gutmann told media.
— Natasha Turak
The European Union adopted its 11th sanctions package against Russia, which the Council of the EU said is “intended to strengthen existing EU sanctions and crack down on their circumvention, thereby further eroding Putin’s war machine and his revenues.”
The package includes a transit ban on certain goods, import-export restrictions on 87 new entities directly supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine, the extension of broadcast suspensions for certain Russian state-linked media outlets, and restrictions on EU road and port use for certain vehicles from Russia or vessels known to be carrying banned Russian petroleum products or those purchased above the price cap agreed by the Price Cap Coalition.
“Our sanctions are already taking a heavy toll on the Russian economy and on the Kremlin’s ability to finance its aggression,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief for foreign affairs and security policy, said in a statement.
“Today’s package increases our pressure on Russia and Putin’s war machine. By tackling sanctions circumvention, we will maximise pressure on Russia by depriving it further of the resources it so desperately needs to allow it to pursue its illegal war against Ukraine.”
— Natasha Turak
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 13 Russian cruise missiles headed for a military airfield in the country’s the western Khmelnitskyi region, Ukraine’s air force said.
Serhiy Tyurin, the regional governor, said the missiles were aimed at the Viysk airfield near Khmelnitskyi. Ukrainian military officials said the missiles were fired from Russian Tupolev Tu-95 bombers in the Caspian Sea area, Reuters reported.
NBC has not independently verified the information.
— Natasha Turak
India’s former ambassador to the United States said that it is unlikely New Delhi would relinquish its ties with Russia’s defense industry as the Kremlin continues its armed conflict in Ukraine.
“We have to constantly think about the art of the possible and I don’t see a possibility of India cutting off its defense relationship with Russia,” Nirupama Rao told CNBC.
“The extent of dependence on Russia is so great, especially since we live in such a difficult neighborhood,” she said.
Rao said that about 80% of India’s navy, 70% of the air force and approximately 60 to 65% of India’s army equipment is Russian-made.
“So a total of 70-75% of the equipment our defense force uses is of Russian origin. So you can’t say that Russia is the past and America is the future we’d like to put it in such simple terms but it doesn’t work that way,” Rao said.
“I think that the past, present and future are all so mixed up in this situation,” she added.
Rao’s comments come as the Biden administration hosts India Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House for a state visit.
— Amanda Macias
The International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, confirmed to NBC News that Director General Rafael Grossi will visit Russia tomorrow.
“The location for his visit will be confirmed in due course,” the IAEA wrote in the statement, adding no further details.
The visit to Russia comes on the heels of Grossi’s visit to Ukraine and an inspection of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Grossi said previously that Ukrainian President Volodmymr Zelenskyy requested the nuclear watchdog chief to visit the power plant after an explosion at the Kakhovka dam and subsequent flooding jeopardized water reservoir levels used by the nuclear reactors.
— Amanda Macias
The United Nations Security Council said in a report on children in armed conflict that Russia killed 136 children in Ukraine in 2022, Reuters reported, adding Russia to a list of global offenders.
Russian forces used 91 children as human shields, while those soldiers and other Russia-linked groups maimed 518 children and hit schools and hospitals with 480 attacks, the report said, according to Reuters.
The U.N. said Ukrainian forces killed 80 children, maimed 175 and hit schools and hospitals with 212 attacks, Reuters said. The UN did not name Ukraine to its list of offenders.
— Chris Eudaily
UN report says Russia has killed 136 children, used kids as human shields
