Explainer | Timeline of how Russia’s mercenary revolt unfolded
- Wagner troops will stop their advance to Moscow after rising up against Russia’s military leadership
- The weekend mutiny was the most significant challenge to Vladimir Putin’s decades-long leadership
04:19
Russia revolt ends in Wagner leader’s exile but leaves questions about Putin’s authority
Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters surged most of the way to Moscow before their leader said they had agreed to turn back to avoid bloodshed. Here is a timeline of events as they have unfolded.
Friday
– Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the private army called Wagner, releases a video stepping up his feud with Russia’s military top brass and for the first time rejects President Vladimir Putin’s core justification for invading Ukraine.
– In a series of subsequent audio recordings posted on Telegram, Prigozhin says the “evil” of Russia’s military leadership “must be stopped” and his Wagner mercenary force will lead a “march for justice” against the Russian military.
– Russia’s FSB security service responds by opening a criminal case against Prigozhin, saying he has called for armed mutiny.
– The deputy commander of Russia’s Ukraine campaign, General Sergei Surovikin, urges the Wagner militia to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases.
Saturday
– Prigozhin says his men have crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to go “all the way” against the Russian military.