Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has mocked Russian authorities as “weak” amid reports of a new phone call between the leaders of Belarus and Russia.
Reznikov says he has discussed the turmoil in Russia in a phone call with his US counterpart, describing the Russian authorities as “weak” and saying things are “moving in the right direction”.
In a brief readout of the call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Reznikov said they also discussed Ukraine’s counteroffensive and steps to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces.
“We agree that the Russian authorities are weak and that withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine is the best choice for the Kremlin,” Reznikov wrote on Twitter.
Heavily armed Russian mercenaries have withdrawn from the southern Russian city of Rostov under a deal that halted their rapid advance on Moscow.
Ending their short-lived mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group began heading back to their bases late on Saturday in return for guarantees of their safety.
Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not commented publicly since the deal was struck to deescalate one of the biggest challenges since he rose to power more than two decades ago.
State television said Putin would attend a meeting of Russia’s Security Council this coming week, without elaborating, and Belarus’ Belta news agency says Putin and Lukashenko spoke again on Sunday, after at least two calls on Saturday.
Prigozhin, 62, was seen leaving the district military headquarters in Rostov — hundreds of kilometres south of Moscow — late on Saturday in a sport utility vehicle.
His whereabouts on Sunday were not known.
A former Putin ally and ex-convict whose forces have fought the bloodiest battles of the 16-month war in Ukraine, Prigozhin said his decision to advance on Moscow was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested the turmoil in Russia could take months to play out.
“We’ve seen more cracks emerge in the Russian facade. It is too soon to tell exactly where they go and when they get there. But certainly, we have all sorts of new questions that Putin is going to have to address in the weeks and months ahead,” Blinken told NBC on Sunday.
After capturing Rostov – the main rear logistical hub for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — the mercenaries began what Prigozhin called a “march for justice” on Saturday, transporting tanks and armoured trucks hundreds of kilometres north and smashing barricades set up to stop them before the deal to stand down.
The mood on the streets of Rostov on Sunday was mainly one of relief.
“It was scary … Everyone is glad that nothing bad happened … It did not come to an armed clash,” said resident Dmitry, who declined to give his surname. “There are very serious problems in the country, and they need to be solved.”
In Moscow, where there was little evidence on Sunday of increased security, some expressed a measure of understanding for Prigozhin’s position.
“The opinions of a person who has a certain weight in society should probably be heard by the authorities,” Oleg said.
Monday has been declared a non-working day in the Russian capital to allow time for things to settle.
Under the deal, brokered late on Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a criminal case opened against Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped, Prigozhin would move to Belarus, and Wagner fighters who rallied to his cause would face no action, in recognition of their previous service to Russia.
Peskov said Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Putin’s approval, because he had known Prigozhin personally for about 20 years.
Prigozhin has for months accused Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters as they battled to take Bakhmut in Ukraine.
This month, Prigozhin defied orders to place his troops under Defence Ministry command.
He launched the rebellion on Friday after alleging the military had killed some of his men in an air strike, which the Defence Ministry denied.
