Prigozhin's mutiny and Putin's response: Key developments as of June 24

The Russian president also had talks with Alexander Lukashenko, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, as reported by Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, also spoke out on the situation, repeating the main tenets of Putin's speech and called on everyone to rally around the head of state. He also announced that Chechen units were “on their way to the conflict zone” in order to “suppress the mutiny.” According to Chechen human rights activist Abubakar Yangulbayev, Kadyrov's security forces are indeed gradually relocating their contingent, which was stationed in Belgorod, to other regions of Russia. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council, made a statement that was also very reminiscent of Putin's, ending with the words: “Victory will be ours.” Leaders of Russia’s parliamentary factions all declared the necessity of rallying around Putin.

The reaction of the West

In its daily update, British military intelligence said that the Wagner PMC is “almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow.” According to the report, the Wagner Group has crossed the Russian border with the occupied territories of Ukraine in at least two locations. Russia’s military and other security forces put up close to no resistance to Prigozhin's forces, said the update. The UK’s Defense Intelligence said that “the loyalty of Russia’s security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out.”

US President Joe Biden has been briefed about Prigozhin's mutiny. According to the White House, the Biden administration is closely monitoring the situation and is consulting with its allies about what is happening in Russia.

A spokesman for the European Commission said the EU is also monitoring what is happening in Russia and considers the unfolding events the country’s “internal matter.” Representatives of the German Chancellor and French President responded similarly, saying that support for Ukraine was more important to both countries.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has held consultations relating to the situation with the prime minister and the head of the Polish Defense Ministry. Polish authorities also claimed to be “watching” the situation unfold. Somewhat later, however, Duda put Poland’s army on high alert.

Mikhaylo Podolyak, an adviser to the Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, called Prigozhin’s mutiny the beginning of a civil war in Russia. He then wrote that “Prigozhin's counterterrorist operation on Russian territory has already led to the seizure of Rostov, several federal highways, and [military] headquarters. Podolyak stressed that a split among Russia’s elites is becoming clear.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia's weakness, which Putin has long masked with propaganda, “obvious.” “Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself,” he tweeted.

What's happening on the front line?

Despite the mutiny, the Russian military launched a large-scale missile attack on Ukraine with 50 Kh-101/Kh-555, Kalibr and Kh-22 cruisem issiles during the night. Forty-one of them (as well as two kamikaze drones of the «Shahed» (aka «Geranium») family) were successfully shot down by Ukrainian air defenses. Debris from a downed missile was confirmed to have hit a residential apartment building in Kyiv. Destroyed buildings and casualties were also reported in other regions of the country.

All significant events on the front line are currently out of the media’s attention, as all eyes are focused on the unfolding situation in Russia, hinted a well-known Ukrainian UAV operator with the call sign “Madyar” in a recent ironic video.