SO NOW THERE’S A DEAL?

BREAKING:

Prigozhin just stated that he has proved his point and that the Wagner Group will stop its advance on Moscow.

He says that a deal has been struck and that he is pulling his troops back to the barracks.

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 24, 2023

I have questions, and I’m not the only one:

How can Putin do a deal with Prigozhin after telling the nation he's a traitor?

What kind of "security guarantees" can Prigozhin get, when Putin said he'd kill him?

And if Prigozhin got anything out of the deal, such as Shoigu's resignation – how could Putin possibly agree?

— max seddon (@maxseddon) June 24, 2023

UPDATE: Now the Kremlin has weighed in. “The outlines of a deal that appeared to defuse a rapidly evolving Russian security crisis began to come into focus late Saturday, as the Kremlin announced that a Russian mercenary leader, who for nearly 24 hours led an armed uprising against the country’s military leadership, would flee to Belarus and his fighters would escape repercussions. The announcement capped one of the most tumultuous days in President Vladimir V. Putin’s more than 23-year rule in Russia and followed an apparent intervention by the leader of neighboring Belarus, who stepped in to negotiate a solution to the crisis directly with the head of the Wagner private military company, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, who was leading the revolt.”

Well, better for Putin than having Prigozhin seize Moscow and declare himself Czar, but still not a good look, having your domestic problems negotiated by Belarus.

Related: Is the Ukraine war over? Update: Coup-us interruptus? Update: Prigozhin exiled?

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