Today, Russia is trying to present an image of a return to normality by lifting the security measures introduced during the rebellion of the Wagner paramilitary group, an unprecedented crisis that the West considers to be evidence of the fragility of Vladimir Putin, France Press Agency (AFP) assessed.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who did not appear during Saturday's rebellion by the head of private military forces "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin, reappeared today in a video inspection of the Russian army in Ukraine.
Putin also appeared for the first time today in a video from the Kremlin speaking at a forum on youth and industry, but said nothing about the rebellion. It cannot be determined where and when that recording was made.
The Kremlin said Putin had spoken with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and that both "expressed support" for the Russian president after the uprising.
Putin has not publicly mentioned the rebellion and all these events since the televised speech on Saturday, when in the midst of the crisis he accused Prigozhin of treason.
Today, in another sign of a return to normality, the authorities lifted the so-called "anti-terrorist operation regime" that gives expanded powers to security forces in the Moscow region and Voronezh, south of Moscow where Wagner's units were based.
Prigozhin, a businessman who had been an ally of Putin, ended his rebellion on Saturday night in exchange for his immunity and that of his men after mediation by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
However, today Russian news agencies reported that the criminal investigation against Prigozhin for "calling for an armed rebellion" is still ongoing.
For now, the whereabouts of Prigozhin, who has not been announced since Saturday evening, is a complete mystery. According to the Kremlin, Prigozhin should go into exile in Belarus, but he himself did not confirm this.
Another enigma remains: What is the fate of the 25.000 people who, according to "Wagner", belong to that paramilitary group.
The question arises whether these people are in their camps in Ukraine, or in bases in Russia. Another question is whether they have come under the authority of the Russian Ministry of Defense or whether they are still autonomous.
Despite the normalcy displayed today, the spectacular rebellion of "Wagner" from Friday night to Saturday night shook Russia.
Over the course of 24 hours, Prigozhin's forces occupied several military locations in the strategic city of Rostov and traveled 600 kilometers toward Moscow without encountering any resistance.
Although the rebellion ended as suddenly as it began, the crisis represents the biggest challenge Putin has faced since coming to power in 1999.
Independent Russian analyst Tatyana Stanovaya said that Putin and the country "received a major blow that will have important consequences for the regime."
Some analysts in Ukraine believe that the crisis in Russia could weaken Russian forces on the ground in favor of the Ukrainians, who have been conducting a heavy counter-offensive for several weeks.
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