Image source, Getty Images

The last thing we know about Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s whereabouts is that he was in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Dov with his Wagner troops until late Saturday.

After taking over the military headquarters there, he then later decided to withdraw from the city, called off his "march for justice" on Moscow, and agreed to leave Russia for Belarus.

Prigozhin and his troops were seen leaving the city, but the Wagner chief's destination is unknown. Russian media say charges against him have not been dropped, despite the Kremlin earlier saying they would be.

Earlier we heard an 11 minute audio message from Prigozhin, his first message after he was seen leaving Rostov-on-Don's military headquarters on Saturday night, but he made no mention of his current whereabouts.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Earlier we heard from Belarus' exiled opposition leader, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who said the relocation of the Wagner chief to her country would add further instability.

Speaking to BBC Newshour, she said Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko was "not mediator but postman" when he brokered a deal between Moscow and Wagner over the weekend.

"He was Putin's messenger," she said, arguing this was to help the Russian president save face.

“The world saw that Putin is not almighty, not so powerful. Weak Putin means weak Lukashenko," she added.

Tikhanovskaya said that 5,000 Russian troops were already in Belarus and if Prigozhin arrived with Wagner troops, it would only create additional challenges. Prigozhin did not mention his whereabouts in his 11 minute audio message posted today.

Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin has told the BBC that “there is less and less possibility" that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be a candidate for the Russian presidential elections next year, following the latest developments in the war.

Both ordinary Russians and top officials are thinking about who could be the next president of the country, he told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.

Nadeshdin, who has publicly called for Putin to be removed from office, said some Russian people are starting to understand that “there is no more stability, there is no more security” under Putin.

They cannot understand how unofficial troops could control a big Russian city, he said in reference to the Wagner mercenary group’s brief mutiny against the Kremlin’s top brass when they seized the city of Roston-on-Don on Saturday.

UK defence secretary minimises significance of failed mutinypublished at 18:10 British Summer Time 26 June 2023

18:10 BST 26 June 2023

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

The UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has played down the significance of the failed mutiny by the head of Wagner - Yevgeny Pregozhin - on Russia and the wider war in Ukraine.

Wallace said he was not going to speculate what was going on in the Kremlin. He said his job was to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

But Wallace did say that Prigozhin’s failed revolt had exposed a weakness in Russia’s defences and how “threadbare” Russian reserve forces now are.

The UK defence secretary said that was illustrated by the fact that his “small band of about 2,500 men” were able to advance so far without much opposition.

Wallace said the most important thing that Prigozhin had shown was the “false narrative” of the Kremlin’s justification for the war.

The UK foreign secretary said the Wagner mercenary group leader's message showed there was "no legitimacy" for the Ukraine war.

James Cleverly told MPs that Yevgeny Prigozhin's words meant there was "no risk at all" to Russian territorial integrity from Nato and the West.

Referring to President Putin, he added that the lives of Ukrainians and others have been "lost in pursuit of the ego of one man".

Robert Greenall
BBC News

As for Prigozhin's own fate, he said on Saturday he would go to Belarus, in effect into exile. But no details have been given about his whereabouts since he left Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, and it is unclear where his latest message was recorded.

Prigozhin said the aim of the march was to prevent the destruction of Wagner, and it would seem that this has been achieved. Wagner offices have announced the resumption of recruitment, and the company's activities in Africa and other parts of the world are continuing.

But did Prigozhin force any further concessions from the Kremlin in exchange for ending his march? Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and other military officials who he wanted gone remain in place, for now.

But Russian social media has been rife with speculation about a possible successor - Alexei Dyumin, governor of Tula region and a close friend of Prigozhin.

We most likely won't see the end of the fallout from Saturday's rebellion for some time yet.

Image source, Reuters

The US president has just been telling a press conference that the US and its allies were not involved in Wagner’s aborted rebellion over the weekend.

Joe Biden said the US coordinated with its “key allies” over the response to what was happening, saying it was “critical” they were all on the same page.

“We made sure we gave Putin no excuse to blame this on the West and to blame this on Nato," he said.

“We had nothing to do with it, this was part of a struggle within the Russian system.”

Earlier on Monday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russian authorities were investigating whether Western special services were involved, according to Tass news agency.

In his address, Biden added that he has spoken to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, and told him the US would continue to support Kyiv regardless of what happened in Moscow.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny over the weekend was "not really a coup attempt” but a “show of force” by Prigozhin, who wanted more control over the war effort, says a security expert.

Any change to Prigozhin's role as Wagner's leader could have an effect on his mercenary troops' activities, said Andreas Krieg, associate professor of security services at King’s College London.

On the one hand, Wagner fighters in Ukraine have a “strong bond of loyalty to him personally,” Krieg told BBC's World at One programme.

But they also do have some overarching loyalty to the Russian war effort, he added.

Prigozhin is an “integral part” of the mercenary group, said Krieg, adding that he is unsure if Wagner will continue to exist in its current form if he does disappear from the scene.

The Wagner group is a network that engages in fighting, extraction, information operations, and intelligence gathering. These are organised under different subsidiaries and shell companies. “The kind of hub that keeps this all together is Prigozhin,” said Krieg.

Investigating video of Russia’s defence ministerpublished at 17:31 British Summer Time 26 June 2023

17:31 BST 26 June 2023

We’re still trying to establish when the video of Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu inspecting troops was recorded.

The timing is important because the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group took place over the weekend.

Since this morning, we’ve discovered a couple things.

Firstly, Shoigu’s watch is briefly readable in the video - showing a time of approximately 12:47. We tried zooming in to make out a date, but the picture quality isn’t good enough.

Meanwhile, another man that appears in the video - Col Gen Yevgeny Nikiforov - has had his watch blurred, along with some documents.

Image source, Reuters

This has led to some online speculation this was done because it shows a date.

Photographs - released by Russia’s defence ministry – also show Nikiforov’s watch. Whether blurred, or because of glare from the room’s lighting, the watch remains unreadable.

Image source, Reuters

In another official photo, Shoigu's watch is visible once again – showing a time of approximately 10:15. This suggests he stayed in the operations centre for at least two and half hours or that the footage was filmed on separate visits.

Robert Greenall
BBC News

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said his latest audio message on Telegram was intended to answer the most important questions people had about his march on Moscow and the events leading up to it, and to correct any "misapprehensions".

But it failed to answer two key questions - about the future of Wagner and Prigozhin himself, and what concessions, if any, he had secured from the Kremlin as part of the deal to defuse the crisis.

The Wagner chief mentioned the role in brokering the deal of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who "offered to find ways for Wagner to continue its work legally". But Prigozhin gave no details about what this could actually mean.

It does appear that some Wagner personnel are to be transferred to Belarus - Russian news outlet Verstka has reported that construction has begun on camps for them there.

There has also been unsubstantiated speculation that Wagner could be used for an attack on Ukraine from Belarus.

Image source, PA

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly says it is clear that “cracks are emerging” in the support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, and Wagner's mutiny posed an "unprecedented challenge to Putin's authority".

In a speech in the House of Commons, Cleverly says Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has driven a “coach and horses” through the Russian president’s justification for the conflict.

Prigozhin, who lead the aborted rebellion of the Wagner mercenary group over the weekend, said the war had been started so Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, could personally profit. He also said that the invasion was based on lies fed to Vladimir Putin.

Cleverly adds the UK government considers the Wagner affair a matter for Russia and warns against speculating about what it could mean, as it will take some time for the full implications to become clear.

Image source, Office of the President of Ukraine

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been meeting soldiers in the east of Ukraine, according to a statement from his office.

He is reported to have met with soldiers and officers of the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group, who “distinguished themselves in fierce battles” around the city of Bakhmut.

"Ukraine is proud of each of you,” Zelensky told them. “You are great and strong. You are our true Ukrainians.”

The president also visited a gas station in the Donetsk region to have a coffee with members of the military who were there.

Video posted on his Telegram channel shows him talking to soldiers and taking selfies with them.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Until today, Putin had not been seen in public since the Wagner rebellion was brought to an end on Saturday night.

Earlier, he appeared in a video where he addressed an engineering forum. We don't know the original date of the video, or where it was recorded.

On the forum's official website, external, Putin is not listed as being among the guests or speakers.

We also know that the Russian leader had a phone call with the Iranian president today, according to the Kremlin, so Putin and his government are projecting an impression they're getting on with business as usual.

Meanwhile, Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has called on his cabinet to unite behind Putin.

Characteristically, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is highly critical of Russia's security forces in his latest audio message.

He said his march on Moscow on Saturday revealed "most serious security problems across the entire country," claiming that his units had managed to block "all" Russian military units and airfields in their path.

Prigozhin claims the Wagner mercenary group had support in the towns it went through during its short-lived rebellion.

He also claims his forces covered 780km (484 miles) in their march towards Moscow from the south - equivalent to the distance Russian forces took on 24 February last year (when they started their invasion in Ukraine) from the Ukrainian border to Kyiv, and onto Uzhgorod, a city in the far west of Ukraine on the border with Hungary and Slovakia.

He says if forces like Wagner's troops had carried out that first attack, "the special military operation in Ukraine" would have been over much sooner.

Image source, Reuters

More from Yevgeny Prigozhin's 11-minute audio message now.

Speaking about the conditions of the deal that was reportedly done in order to bring the Wagner rebellion to a halt over the weekend, Prigozhin claims the group was "categorically against the decision to close Wagner on 1 July 2023 and to incorporate it into the defence ministry".

Commanders refused to accept the request to sign contracts with the Russian ministry of defence, he adds. In exchange, he claims around 30 of his men "were killed by Russian attacks" - the BBC hasn't verified this claim.

Prigozhin also says that Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko played a part in the deal, stating that Lukashenko "extended his hand and offered to find ways for Wagner to continue its work legally" - without giving further details.

Notably, Prigozhin didn't reveal where he was in the video message he shared on Telegram. It has been reported that as part of the deal, Prigozhin had agreed to go to Belarus.

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has made it clear that he didn't target Putin when he declared his troops would march on Moscow, saying: "We didn't march to overthrow Russia's leadership."

In his 11-minute audio message, he says: "The aim of the march was to avoid destruction of Wagner and to hold to account the officials who through their unprofessional actions have committed a massive number of errors".

He says Wagner regrets "they had to hit Russian aviation" and they turned around "to avoid spilling blood of Russian soldiers".

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has just posted an 11-minute audio message where he says no-one agreed to sign a contract with the defence ministry and that his mercenary firm was bound to cease existence on 1 July.

We'll bring you more from his first message since halting Wagner's mutiny shortly.

Yevgeny Prigozhin is the head of the Wagner group, a mercenary force active across Africa and the Middle East – as well as in Ukraine.

His short-lived mutiny briefly rocked the Russian state. If you hadn't heard much of him before this weekend, here are some facts to get you up to speed:

• Prigozhin received his first criminal conviction aged 18, later serving nine years in jail for robbery and theft. Once released, he opened a hot dog stand in the 1990s
• He later formed his own catering company, used by the Kremlin and giving him the nickname "Putin's chef"
• His connections eventually gave him access to the armed forces, and in 2014 he was involved a group which helped Russia annex Crimea. This later became the Wagner group
• The Wagner group has since conducted many controversial operations, including supporting Russian forces supporting Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria
• The group has been accused of committing war crimes, propping up warlords, and robbing African countries of mineral wealth
• For years, he's also been accused of being behind so-called "troll farms" or "bot factories", best known for interfering in the 2016 US Presidential election
• Over the past few months, cracks appeared in the relationship between Wagner and Moscow, eventually leading to Prigozhin’s brief mutiny this weekend

Image source, Reuters

The head of the Nato military alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, has been making further comments about Wagner’s aborted rebellion against Russia, saying it showed how “difficult and dangerous” it was to rely on mercenaries (people who are not part of an official military and join a conflict for personal gain).

Speaking about Wagner's aborted mutiny, Stoltenberg said: "Of course, it is a demonstration of (Russian leadership's) weakness."

Stoltenberg also reiterated his earlier comments that the mutiny is an internal Russian matter and not something for Nato to get involved in.

Read more about the Wagner group and who they are here.

Image source, EPA

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the Wagner group’s operations will continue in Mali and the Central African Republic, amid uncertainty about the future of the mercenary group.

Wagner members "are working there as instructors” and this work will continue, Lavrov says in an interview with Russian broadcaster RT, adding that this weekend's Wagner revolt will not affect Moscow's ties with "partners and friends".

Lavrov’s comments add to the lack of clarity about the group’s future, particularly after earlier this month Russia announced that “volunteer formations” would be asked to sign contracts to integrate them with the ministry of defence - something Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin railed against.

The bill gave "volunteer formations" until 1 July to comply and sign the contracts, and although the announcement didn’t mention Wagner directly, it was widely regarded as being part of efforts to reduce the group’s – and particularly Prigozhin’s – influence.

It's still unclear what impact the weekend's abandoned mutiny will have on these plans for integration.