WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Civil war. An evil that must be stopped. Fratricide. A bug about to be squashed.
The dramatic weekend rebellion by a mercenary warlord in Russia that challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin was punctuated by dramatic language from the key protagonists — and some long silences — as the world held its collective breath at the biggest challenge to Putin’s rule of more than two decades.
Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin incited a rebellion against Russia’s military leaders and sent his troops toward Moscow but aborted his mutiny when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko brokered an agreement that included exile for the warlord in Belarus. Though short-lived, the revolt rattled Russian power circles, tarnished Putin’s aura of complete control and gave Ukrainians hope that Russian infighting could help them.
Many questions remain unanswered about how Prigozhin managed to get 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Moscow with little resistance. But a lot of words went back and forth. Here is a look at the past several days with a focus on comments by key figures — Prigozhin, Putin and Lukashenko — as well as by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joe Biden.
DAY 1: THE REVOLT GETS UNDERWAY