Putin and Prigozhin: Getting to grips with latest twist in Wagner saga

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Yevgeny Prigozhin 5 days aft the Wagner mercenary brag led a failed mutiny, the Kremlin has revealed. The BBC's Steve Rosenberg gets to grips with the latest twist successful the Wagner saga.

So, fto maine get this straight.

On the greeting of 24 June, the time of the mutiny, Vladimir Putin accused the Wagner enactment of "treachery" and "a stab successful the back". Later that day, Russian aerial unit pilots were killed, changeable down by Wagner fighters.

Then, with the mercenaries conscionable 200km (120 miles) from the Russian capital, the Kremlin and Wagner did a deal. The mutiny was over. No-one was arrested. No-one has been prosecuted.

Not lone was Yevgeny Prigozhin not clapped successful irons and hauled disconnected to the constabulary presumption for his rebellion.

It's present emerged that 5 days aboriginal helium was successful the Kremlin, unneurotic with his commanders, sitting circular the array and chatting with President Putin.

Yet different twist and crook successful a communicative that's already surpassed Dostoyevsky for levels of astonishment and mystery.

What we don't know, though, is what precisely was said astatine that gathering and however it concluded. Judging by what's happened since, this was nary "kiss and marque up".

In caller days, the Russian authorities media has been moving overtime to discredit Mr Prigozhin.

Potentially embarrassing photographs allegedly taken during the raid of his St Petersburg mansion were leaked to societal media and Russian TV. They showed golden bars, weapons and - bizarrely - a ample postulation of wigs.

Last nighttime Russia-1's flagship show, News of the Week, continued the quality assassination.

A study astir Mr Prigozhin claimed: "He's not the Robin Hood helium tried to walk himself disconnected as. He was a businessman with a transgression past. Many of his projects were dodgy and not ever wrong the law."

And what of that woody betwixt the Kremlin and Wagner to extremity the mutiny connected 24 June? According to the agreement, Mr Prigozhin was expected to permission Russia for Belarus, on with those Wagner fighters who expressed the tendency to articulation him.

Last week the person of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, told america that the Wagner main and his mercenaries weren't there. To summarise his point: they mightiness extremity up successful Belarus - but they mightiness not.

So that's each wide then. Not.

Where are Wagner? Where is Mr Prigozhin? What are their plans? What person they agreed with Mr Putin?

For now, each I tin accidental is this: enactment tuned for the adjacent (inevitably bizarre) occurrence of Russia: the June Mutiny and the Kremlin.