Conflicts & War

Moscow lifts ‘anti-terrorism’ measures after aborted Wagner mutiny

Moscow, Jun 26 (EFE).- Russian authorities have lifted all the security measures that were rolled out over the weekend in Moscow when the Wagner paramilitary group threatened to storm the capital in what turned out to be a failed coup, Russia’s Federal Security Service reported on Monday.

On June 24, Russian authorities introduced “anti-terrorism” measures in Moscow, the Moscow Region and the Voronezh Region when Wagner forces closed in on the Russian capital during an armed mutiny.

The insurrection was aborted late on Saturday after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin struck a deal with the Kremlin.

“The chief of the FSB’s department in Moscow and the Moscow Region decided to cancel counter-terrorism measures in Moscow and the Moscow Region, starting 9:00 a.m. on June 26, 2023,” the agency said in a statement, according to Taas news agency.

“Currently the situation in the Moscow area is stable,” the FSB statement added, which has allowed the lifting of all temporary restrictions that were introduced in Moscow, the Moscow Region and the Voronezh Region on June 24 for the first time ever, according to Taas.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin ordered all residents to stay at home on Saturday and has kept the order in place Monday.

The capital woke up calm and with most shops open, although there were fewer commuters on the subway early on Monday.

The extraordinary measures were also lifted in the Voronezh region, some 400 kilometers south of Moscow and where the Wagner paramilitary group were heading in order to reach the capital on Saturday, governor Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

The mutiny led by the Wagner chief Prigozhin was dismantled on Saturday, less than 24 hours after it began thanks to mediation by Belarus president Alexandr Lukashenko.

Under the agreement, which was reached after the Wagner paramilitary group had taken the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and its forces were just 200 kilometers from Moscow, the Kremlin dropped its criminal case against Prigozhin and his men considering their achievements on the frontline in the war in Ukraine.

Instead the Wagner chief agreed to leave for Belarus, while fighters who did not directly participate in the uprising would be able to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry.EFE

mos/ch

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