Russia closes probe against Wagner chief, his troops

Moscow, June 27

Russian authorities said on Tuesday they had closed a criminal investigation into the aborted armed rebellion led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and were pressing no charges against him or his troops.

US sending $500-mn military aid to ukraine

• The US has announced that it is sending up to $500 million in military aid to Ukraine.
• It includes more than 50 heavily armoured vehicles and an infusion of missiles for air defence systems.

The Federal Security Service said its investigation found that those involved in the mutiny, which lasted less than 24 hours after Wagner group chief Prigozhin declared it Friday, ceased activities directed at committing the crime, so the case would not be pursued. It was the latest twist in a series of stunning events that have brought the gravest threat so far to President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power amid the 16-month-old war in Ukraine.

Over the weekend, the Kremlin pledged not to prosecute Prigozhin and his fighters after he stopped the revolt on Saturday, even though Putin had branded them as traitors.

Civil war averted: russian president

• Addressing a gathering of some 2,500 security personnel mustered for a ceremony on a square in the Kremlin complex, President Vladimir Putin said armed forces and people had prevented civil war.
• The rebellion by Wagner group lasted less than 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Prigozhin arrived in Belarus under a deal that ended a brief mutiny against the Russian military by his fighters, state news agency BELTA said, quoting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

In Moscow, Putin praised Russia’s armed forces for preventing a civil war as he sought to reassert his authority after the mutiny. Putin told some 2,500 security men mustered for a ceremony in the Kremlin complex that the people and the armed forces had stood together against the rebels. — Agencies