Your Wednesday briefing
Prigozhin arrives in Belarus
According to Belarusian state media, mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin arrived in Belarus yesterday, ending days of speculation over his whereabouts after calling off a weekend uprising that posed a dramatic challenge to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s rule.
New details emerged about the negotiations that ended the day-long uprising, as Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, described his phone conversations with Putin and Prigozhin on Saturday. After Putin raised the possibility of killing Prigozhin, Lukashenko said he pushed for a hasty response, saying that “a bad peace is better than any war.”
In public appearances, Putin praised his security forces, portrayed the uprising as a heroic episode for the Russian state and thanked the military for “basically stopping a civil war,” state media reported. He also vaguely warned of the consequences for officials who helped Prigozhin enrich himself at Russia’s expense.
Who is Prigozhin? He is the spry freelance warlord who made a last-ditch effort to win by force in one of the most extraordinary Russian power struggles in recent memory.
revelations: The former top Russian commander in Ukraine had inside knowledge of Prigozhin’s plans to rebel against the Russian military leadership, according to US officials who said they were trying to find out if he helped plan the actions last weekend.
Other news from the war:
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Russian authorities stopped an investigation into Prigozhin and members of his Wagner group over the armed uprising. It is still unclear how much Wagner equipment would be relinquished or how many of his fighters – whose numbers Prigozhin recently put at 25,000 – agreed to be placed under the command of the Russian army.
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According to locals and Russian military bloggers, Ukraine appears to be capturing more river islands around the southern city of Kherson in a possible extension of its counteroffensive.
Concerns may remain among Russia’s friends
Leaders allied with Russia are unlikely to abandon Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, but they could try to hedge their bets against further instability after an attempted mutiny over the weekend, it said. diplomats and analysts.
China publicly confirmed its alliance on Monday, calling Russia a “friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic coordination partner”. But that public support has been preceded by personal frustration that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has put China in a difficult position, and Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, has arranged a phone call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The same mix of public support and private doubt can be seen in the Middle East. The Gulf states have overlooked Russia’s war against Ukraine as they increasingly viewed Putin as an alternative source of security in the region. But tensions remain between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which sells oil at reduced rates, even as Saudi Arabia tries to push prices up.
Analysis: “I think you could start seeing more of that hedging and signaling,” said John Culver, a former US intelligence analyst on China.
EU border agency is considering leaving Greece
The EU’s border agency could suspend operations in Greece over chronic human rights violations against migrants, the human rights chief said, potentially withdrawing dozens of border guards, ships and planes. Alternatively, the agency can increase its presence and involvement to prevent further misconduct.
The assessment, which was also made in an internal EU report, came days after a devastating migrant shipwreck in the Mediterranean that was not covered in the EU report because it was so recent. The shipwreck has raised questions about the behavior of Greek authorities, including whether they did enough to help the boat while it was in distress.
The report puts further pressure on Greece over its migrant policies. The report’s author, Jonas Grimheden, cited the agency’s internal rules and several cases that illustrated what he called the abusive treatment by Greek authorities of asylum seekers and migrants who may have violated EU and international law.
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ART AND IDEAS
An auction record
Lady With a Fan, a radiant portrait of Gustav Klimt nearly completed when the artist died in 1918, sold for about $108 million at Sotheby’s in London yesterday. It inspired 10 minutes of competition from three Asian bidders before being sold to Patti Wong, an art consultant in Hong Kong.
The purchase – the largest ever at a public sale in Europe – was a morale booster for the UK’s high-end art market, which has seen prices plummet since the country voted to leave the EU in 2016.
“Everyone has been to London,” says Susannah Pollen, a London-based art consultant. “This was a hit.”