Live blog: West, Ukraine wanted Russians to 'kill each other' — Putin

Monday, June 26, 2023

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said that the West and Ukraine wanted Russian soldiers to shoot at each other, two days after he warned against civil war.

"It was precisely this fratricide that Russia's enemies wanted: both the neo-Nazis in Kiev and their Western patrons, and all sorts of national traitors. They wanted Russian soldiers to kill each other," Putin said in a televised address to the nation.

Putin said he had ordered that bloodshed be avoided during a weekend armed rebellion and offered Wagner fighters to join the army or leave the country after their mutiny.

"From the start of the events, on my orders steps were taken to avoid large-scale bloodshed," Putin said thanking Russians for their "endurance and unity, and patriotism".

Putin accused rebelling Wagner fighters of treason and - without mentioning their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin by name - offered them to either sign contracts with the army or leave for neighbouring Belarus.

"Today you have the possibility to continue serving Russia by entering into a contract with the ministry of defence or other law enforcement agencies, or to return to your family and close ones... Whoever wants to can go to Belarus," Putin said.

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1719 GMT — Russia says intercepted two British fighter jets over Black Sea

Russia's Defence Ministry has said it sent two fighter jets to intercept two British aircraft it said were approaching its border above the Black Sea.

"As the Russian fighter jets approached, the foreign warplanes turned around and distanced themselves from the Russian border," the ministry said in a statement.

1701 GMT — Moldovan PM says Russian mutiny shows Moscow's weakness

Moldova's prime minister has said the aborted mutiny in Russia has exposed Moscow's weakness and that what he described as the Kremlin's interference in his own country was getting less effective over time.

The former Soviet republic wedged between Ukraine and Romania has repeatedly accused Russia of meddling in its affairs, particularly over the breakaway region of Transdniestria - accusations Russia denies.

"What we have seen in recent days is a clear indication of the weakness of the Russian leadership and the Russian management of the army," Prime Minister Dorin Recean told Reuters in an interview.

1633 GMT — Biden says 'too early' to define fallout from Russia turmoil

US President Joe Biden has said it was "too early" to draw definitive conclusions after the Wagner mercenary group's aborted march on Moscow while vowing the West "had nothing to do" with the revolt.

"I also convened our key allies on a Zoom call," Biden told reporters. "They agreed that we had to make sure we gave Putin no excuse... to blame this on the West and to blame this on NATO."

1628 — Wagner head Prigozhin says did not want to 'overthrow' Putin

The leader of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has said that his aborted rebellion march on Moscow over the weekend had exposed "very serious security problems" in Russia while insisting he did not want to overthrow Putin.

Prigozhin broke his silence in a Telegram audio message two days after staging the dramatic armed rebellion that saw his fighters approaching Moscow in columns.

The private army chief did not reveal his location but is reported to move to Belarus, after a deal brokered by Minsk to end the mutiny.

Prigozhin said his revolt was aimed at saving his embattled mercenary outfit and bringing to justice Russia's military leadership who made "huge mistakes" during the Ukraine campaign.

1603 GMT — Wagner crisis shows Ukraine war 'cracking' Russia: EU

Wagner's aborted mutiny shows Moscow's military operation in Ukraine is splintering Russian power, the EU's top diplomat has said, warning of the risk of instability in the nuclear-armed behemoth.

"What has happened during this weekend shows that the war against Ukraine is cracking Russian power and affecting its political system," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers.

Borrell warned that "certainly it's not a good thing to see that a nuclear power like Russia can go into a phase of instability. It's also something that has to be taken into account.

"The monster that Putin created with Wagner... is acting against its creator, the political system is showing the fragilities and the military power is cracking," Borrell said.

1559 GMT — Russia checking if Western agencies were involved in mutiny: foreign minister

Russian intelligence services are investigating whether Western spy agencies played a role in the aborted mutiny by Wagner mercenary fighters, the TASS news agency has quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.

In an interview with Russian RT television, Lavrov said US Ambassador Lynne Tracy had spoken to Russian representatives on Sunday and given "signals" that the United States was not involved in the mutiny and that Washington hoped that Russia's nuclear arsenal would be kept safe, TASS said.

Lavrov also quoted Tracy as saying the mutiny was Russia's internal affair.

1558 GMT — UK's Cleverly says Prigozhin's rebellion is an unprecedented challenge to Russia's Putin

British Foreign Minister James Cleverly has said the aborted mutiny by Russia's Wagner mercenary group represented an unprecedented challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Prigozhin’s rebellion is an unprecedented challenge to President Putin’s authority and it is clear cracks are emerging in Russian support for the war," Cleverly told parliament.

"The (British) government, of course, considers this an internal Russian affair. And of course, the leadership of Russia is a matter exclusively for the Russian people," Cleverly said.

1544 GMT — New $500M US military aid to Ukraine to include vehicles, munitions: sources

The United States plans to announce as soon as Tuesday a new military aid package for Ukraine worth up to $500 million, showing that the US resolve to help Ukraine fight Russia was undeterred by the attempted mutiny over the weekend amongst Russian fighters.

The military aid package will include ground vehicles as Ukraine presses its counteroffensive, two US officials said. Expected to be included are 30 Bradley fighting vehicles and 25 Stryker armoured personnel carriers, one of the people said.

As a part of the aid package, Ukraine will receive munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-tank weapons including Javelins and munitions for Patriot and Stinger anti-aircraft systems, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

1526 GMT — Belarus president offered ways for Wagner to keep working: Prigozhin

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has proposed ways in which Russia's Wagner mercenary group could continue to operate, the company's leader said Monday after calling off a weekend rebellion.

"Lukashenko held out his hand and offered to find solutions for the continuation of the work of the Wagner private military company in a legal jurisdiction," Prigozhin said in his audio message.

1515 GMT — Ukraine grain deal 'critical' for Africa: UN

The Ukrainian grain exports deal, which could collapse within weeks, is critical for millions of people in the Horn of Africa, where some are already starving, the United Nations has said.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative aimed at easing the global food crisis is set to expire at the end of July 17 unless Russia agrees to its renewal — while Moscow remains unhappy about the operation of a parallel agreement.

If the export deal collapses, it would "absolutely hit eastern Africa very, very hard," said Dominique Ferretti, the UN World Food Programme's senior emergency officer in the region.

1504 GMT — Zelenskyy visits Ukraine's frontline Donetsk region

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the frontline Donetsk region in the east of his country, which is partly occupied by Russian forces.

According to a statement from his office, Zelenskyy visited military units involved in heavy fighting around the city of Bakhmut and met soldiers relaxing at a highway gas station.

Zelenskyy met soldiers and officers of the "Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group", which operates on Ukraine's eastern front facing Russian troops in the Donbas region.

1403 GMT — Storm Shadow missiles have had significant impact on Ukraine war: UK's Wallace

British Defence Minister Ben Wallace has said that Storm Shadow long-range missiles supplied by London to Kiev have had a significant impact on the battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine war.

"The Storm Shadow missile has had a significant impact on the battlefield", Wallace told lawmakers. "It has had an effect on the Russian army."

1400 GMT — Trudeau says aborted mutiny is an internal issue for Russia to work through

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that the aborted mutiny in Russia was an internal issue for Moscow to work through and that too much speculation over it could prove counterproductive.

"Everyone has a lot of questions about what this actually means, but we don't yet have a lot of answers and too much speculation right now I think could probably be extremely counterproductive," Trudeau told reporters in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, after meeting leaders of Nordic countries.

1328 GMT — Wagner HQ says working as normal despite mutiny

The headquarters of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said it was working in "normal mode."

"Despite events that have taken place, the centre continues to work in normal mode in accordance to the law of the Russian Federation," the office, based in Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg, said.

It said Wagner has "worked for the future of Russia" and thanked its supporters.

Wagner's chief Prigozhin has not been seen since Saturday, but the Kremlin said he will be sent to neighbouring Belarus after a Minsk-brokered deal to halt his rebellion.

1328 GMT — Germany offers to station 4,000 troops in Lithuania to strengthen NATO's eastern flank

Germany is willing to send around 4,000 troops to Lithuania on a permanent basis to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has said during a visit to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

“Germany is prepared to permanently station a robust brigade in Lithuania,” Pistorius said. He said infrastructure and facilities will need to be created to accommodate the soldiers and their families.

In response to Russia's military operation in Ukraine early last year, the German government pledged to have a combat brigade ready to defend Lithuania in the event of an attack, the German news agency DPA reported.

1241 GMT — Lavrov says claims that Russia will blow up Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant 'nonsense': TASS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that what he said were Western and Ukrainian claims that Russia plans to blow up the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine were "nonsense", state news agency TASS reported.

1226 GMT — Sweden announces $35M 'summer aid package' for Ukraine

Sweden has announced that it was pledging an additional $35 million (380 million kronor) as a "humanitarian summer package" of aid for Ukraine.

International Development Cooperation Minister Johan Forsell told a press conference that in the wake of both the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in early June and the launch of Ukraine's counter-offensive, "we know that there will be large humanitarian needs".

According to the government, the package will specifically target "the most acute needs", including food and water, healthcare, mine clearing and support for NGOs.

1122 GMT — Iran's Raisi speaks to Putin, expresses 'full support': Kremlin

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has spoken by phone with Putin and expressed his "full support" following the aborted mutiny of a mercenary chief, the Kremlin said.

"The Iranian president expressed full support for the Russian leadership in connection with the June 24 events," the Kremlin said.

Putin also received a call from Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who also expressed his backing, the Kremlin said.

1106 GMT — Putin appears in first video address since aborted mutiny

Putin has appeared in a Kremlin video address, speaking for the first time since the aborted mutiny of a mercenary chief this weekend.

Putin addressed a youth forum dubbed the "Engineers of the Future" where he praised companies for ensuring "the stable operation" of the country's industry "in the face of severe external challenges".

1007 GMT — Russia's Shoigu makes first TV appearance after Wagner mutiny

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has visited the forward command post of the country's West group of forces.

Shoigu heard a report by the West group commander Colonel-General Yevgeny Nikiforov on the current situation and adjusting the work of reserves that are being formed, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, accompanied by a video, showing Shoigu flying a plane and talking to other military chiefs.

The minister instructed the command staff to continue active reconnaissance to reveal the opponent's plans in advance and prevent their implementation on the distant approaches to the line of contact, the statement said.

0930 GMT — Recent events in Russia demonstrate Putin’s ‘strategical mistake’: NATO chief

The latest developments in Russia demonstrate that Putin made a “strategical mistake” when it launched its offensive in Ukraine, the NATO chief has said.

Jens Stoltenberg spoke at a joint news conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda after their meeting in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius where they discussed final preparations for the NATO leaders’ summit to be held in the city on July 11-12.

Stoltenberg called the recent events in Russia an “internal matter” but confirmed that NATO is “closely following” the situation.

0800 GMT — Denmark closer to donating F-16s to Ukraine

Denmark will retire its fleet of F-16 fighters earlier than planned, the Danish defence minister has said, raising the likelihood that a number of them will be donated to Ukraine.

The warplanes will be retired by 2025 instead of 2027 as the replacement F-35 aircraft from the United States "can be phased in and made operational earlier than planned," acting Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told public broadcaster DR.

Denmark is currently finalising preparations for the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s on Danish soil, which the country hopes to begin before the end of the summer.

"Now that we have taken the step of starting a training and education programme for the Ukrainian pilots, we will also have to consider whether we should make a specific donation of Danish F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and how many there should be," Poulsen said.

0600 GMT — Ukraine claims more territory in south as fighting underway: official

Ukraine has reclaimed additional territory from Russian forces along the southern frontline but the situation on the battlefield there has changed little over the past week, Ukraine Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar has said.

Ukrainian forces have liberated about 130 square kilometres in the south since the start of Ukraine's offensive actions, Maliar said. A week ago, Maliar said that 113 square kilometres had been reclaimed in the previous two weeks.

"The situation in the south has not undergone significant changes over the past week," Maliar told the national broadcaster.

She added that about 250 clashes had taken place in the past week along the eastern part of the front line, which includes the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Maryinka directions.

"Heavy fighting is still going on there," Maliar said.

0300 GMT — Cuba throws support behind Putin amid turmoil

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has expressed solidarity with Russia following an attempted armed rebellion against the Russian government by the Wagner paramilitary group.

“We are fully convinced that unity and constitutional order will prevail,” Diaz-Canel said on Twitter.

2301 GMT — Over 17,000 Ukrainian army recruits trained by Britain, allies: UK

More than 17,000 Ukrainian recruits have been trained by Britain and other allies over the last year to help Kiev fight Russia, the UK Ministry of Defence has said.

The recruits, from many different walks of life, all went through a "gruelling" five-week programme which the ministry said had transformed them "from civilians to soldiers".

Britain and nine partner nations — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania and The Netherlands — opened the initiative for new volunteer recruits to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in June last year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he discussed the weekend's turmoil in Russia in phone calls with the leaders of the United States, Canada and Poland.

The phone calls took place after an extraordinary failed mutiny by Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday that raised questions about Putin's grip on power as Ukraine presses a counteroffensive in its south and east.

"We discussed the course of hostilities and the processes taking place in Russia. The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored," Zelenskyy said after a phone call with US President Joe Biden.

He said he and Biden had also discussed further expanding defence cooperation with an emphasis on long-range weapons, coordination ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius next month and preparations for a "Global Peace Summit" he has promoted.

In another similar statement, Zelenskyy said he had told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a phone call about the "threatening situation" at Ukraine's vast, Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The Ukrainian leader made similar comments in a statement announcing a phone call with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

For our live updates from Sunday (June 25), click here.