Russia

MOSCOW, June 28 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin not to "wipe out" mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, in response to what the Kremlin cast as a mutiny that pushed Russia towards civil war.

Putin initially vowed to crush the mutiny, comparing it to the wartime turmoil that ushered in the revolution of 1917 and then a civil war, but hours later a deal was clinched to allow Prigozhin and some of his fighters to go to Belarus.

MOSCOW, June 28 (Reuters) - As one of the world's most brutal mercenary forces marched on Moscow, some among Russia's elite trembled in fear that the world's biggest nuclear power was teetering on the brink of what President Vladimir Putin said could have been a civil war.

With Putin facing the biggest public challenge of his 23 years as paramount leader, some private jets sped out of Moscow, according to flight tracking data and one source with knowledge of the matter.

MOSCOW, June 27. /TASS/: Russia’s military and law enforcement agencies took crucial streps to protect the people's safety at the time of an attempted armed insurgency and effectively saved the country from civil war, Russian President Vladimir Putin told soldiers and other law enforcement personnel who played a key role in recent events.

MOSCOW, June 27. /TASS/: Russian forces successfully repelled seven Ukrainian attacks in their active defense in the Donetsk area over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, June 27 (Xinhua) -- In a national address on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Wagner forces to relocate to Belarus if they wanted, sign a contract with Russia's Defence Ministry, or return to their families.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Russian intelligence services were investigating whether Western spy agencies played a role in the aborted mutiny, the TASS news agency reported.

26 June 2023; MEMO: Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Monday, discussed the aborted armed rebellion of the Wagner paramilitary group in separate phone talks with the Qatari Emir and Iranian President, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a statement on its website, the Kremlin said Qatari Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, supported the Russian leadership against the rebellion during the phone talk with Putin, and the two leaders confirmed mutual interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation.

MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called statements by US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky on the nuclear threat allegedly emanating from Russia a "turbulent stream of consciousness" not worth commenting on.

MOSCOW, 25 June. /TASS/: Traffic on the entire M-4 Don highway is running normally, the Avtodor telegram channel reported.

"Traffic on the entire M-4 Don [highway] is proceeding as usual," the statement said.

Traffic on the M-4 Don towards Rostov-on-Don was partially halted on Saturday, causing traffic jams for many kilometers. Emergency workers and volunteers helped drivers and passengers.

TASS, June 25: Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he keeps the situation of the special operation under control around the clock.

"Of course, I pay priority attention [to the special military operation]," he told journalist Pavel Zarubin. "This is how the day begins and this is how it ends," Putin pointed out during an interview with the "Moscow.Kremlin.Putin" TV program, recorded on June 21.

(AP) --- Russian government troops withdrew from the streets of Moscow and people flocked to parks and cafes Sunday following a short-lived revolt by mercenary forces that weakened President Vladimir Putin and raised questions about his ability to wage war in Ukraine.