Page 23 - Joint Forces News Today

Russians have been urged to rally behind President Vladimir Putin as an attempted mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group slowly died down. The...

Ending their short-lived mutiny, Wagner fighters halted their rapid advance on Moscow, withdrew from the southern Russian city of Rostov and headed back to their bases late on Saturday under a deal that guaranteed their safety. Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, would move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Russia sought to restore calm on Monday after an aborted mutiny by Wagner Group mercenaries over the weekend, while Western allies assessed how President Vladimir Putin might reassert authority and what it could mean for the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine has reclaimed additional territory from Russian forces along the southern frontline but the situation on the battlefield there has changed little over the past week, Ukraine Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday. Ukrainian forces have liberated about 130 square kilometers (50 square miles) in the south since the start of Ukraine's offensive actions, Maliar said. A week ago, Maliar said that 113 square kilometers had been reclaimed in the previous two weeks.

As Ukraine says there have been 250 combat clashes in the last week along the frontline

Russia sought to restore calm on Monday after an aborted mutiny by Wagner Group mercenaries over the weekend, while Western allies assessed how President Vladim

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the invasion of Ukraine, which Putin calls a "special military operation" to counter threats, was destroying Russia, and the West would continue to back Kyiv. On Saturday, Wagner mercenaries fighting in Ukraine crossed into Russia, captured a headquarters for the war in Rostov, and drove most of the 1,100 km (700 miles) to Moscow, meeting no resistance on the ground before abruptly halting their advance.

Mercenary leader Prigozhin reportedly still under investigation as whereabouts remains unknown

Iran said on Monday it was hoping indirect talks with the United States could lead to a "positive" outcome for a prisoner swap. Iran announced earlier this month that it was engaged in Oman-mediated talks with its arch-nemesis the United States over its nuclear deal and a possible prisoner exchange. "We are negotiating for the release of Iranian citizens through parties who play a role in good faith," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said on Monday.

There is still no public sign of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of Wagner and mutiny leader