Russian mercenaries have pulled out of the city of Rostov in a deal that ended their rapid advance into Moscow but called into question Vladimir Putin’s grip on power. Having ended their brief uprising, Wagner’s fighters began to return to their bases on Saturday evening in exchange for guarantees of their safety, and Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus, according to an agreement mediated by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. Putin and Prigozhin have not appeared in public since the end of the uprising, and their whereabouts are unknown. Putin appeared on Russian state television on Sunday, but his words appeared to have been recorded before the uprising.

Highlights of the war in Ukraine, day 488, LIVETEXT:

07:44 The Institute for the Study of War notes that the Wagner uprising on June 23-24 did not significantly affect the ability of Russian troops to conduct offensive and defensive operations in Ukraine.

Both Russian and Ukrainian sources said fighting continued as normal along the entire frontline, with Moscow forces carrying out relatively more ground attacks near Bakhmut than in recent days.

On Sunday, Ukrainian troops continued counteroffensive actions on at least three areas of the front. Russian sources reported that Russian forces repelled Ukrainian attacks in the Bakhmut area, along the administrative border between western Donetsk region and eastern Zaporizhia region, as well as in western Zaporizhia region.

07:34 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday that the Australian government will offer Ukraine a new A$110 million ($73.5 million) package, including 70 military vehicles.

The new commitments will bring Australia’s total contribution to Ukraine to A$790 million, including A$610 million in military support.

“This additional support will make a real difference, helping the Ukrainian people who continue to show great courage in the face of Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and immoral war,” Albanese told a news conference in Canberra (Reuters).

A brief summary of recent events:

• US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the Wagner uprising exposed “real cracks” in Putin’s government and could give Ukraine a decisive advantage as it mounts a counteroffensive that could affect the outcome of the war. “This story continues, and I think we’re in the middle of a moving picture,” Blinken said.
• The weekend’s events “exposed the weakness of the Putin regime,” Zelensky said, adding that he discussed the unrest in Russia during a phone call with US President Joe Biden.
• Yevgeny Prigozhin “sends greetings to everyone,” said an email to CNN from the press service of his Concord company. Where is Prigozhin?
• ​An interview recorded on June 21 with Vladimir Putin was broadcast on Sunday on Russian state television, a day after Prigozhin’s uprising. The head of the Kremlin says that he keeps a round-the-clock control over the “special operation” in Ukraine.
• Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Sunday asked NATO to “consolidate” the alliance’s eastern flank if the leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, settles in Belarus.
• According to Andriy Kartapolov, the head of the defense committee, the State Duma is working on a law that will regulate the Wagner Group.
• The assistant minister of defense of Ukraine called Wagner’s uprising in Russia “the most senseless attempted uprising” of all time.
• American special services gathered information that Wagner’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was planning to act against Russia’s military leadership as early as mid-June.
• What was hidden behind Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion and other question marks.
• While all eyes were on internal unrest in Russia, fighting continued on the front line in Ukraine, and a column of Russian troops was destroyed in Zaporizhzhia.
• Danish brewing company Carlsberg said it has signed an agreement to sell its Russian business, but did not disclose the name of the buyer or the amount of the deal.

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• Sunday’s events related to Russian aggression were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro