Chechen special forces unit returns from Rostov as Wagner rebellion ends

Chechen television channel Grozny has published a video showing Apty Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special forces, in front of his lined-up fighters, saying that the unit is returning to the special operations zone from its base in Rostov-on-Don, where it arrived to suppress the military insurgency of the Wagner PMC.

The actions of the Akhmat special forces in Rostov-on-Don were thought-out and effective, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Telegram channel of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

"Any amateurism in a residential city could inevitably lead to mass casualties. The fighters acted strictly in compliance with orders and brilliantly carried out their task," the report said.

To recap, on June 24 morning, Wagner mercenaries crossed the border from their field camps in Ukraine and entered the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.

In developments that were breathlessly fast, they reportedly took over the regional military command and seized military facilities in Voronezh, another city further north, towards Moscow.

The fighters started to march toward the capital, prompting the Kremlin to introduce tighter security in many regions, including Moscow, where the mayor of the capital city had told residents to avoid travelling.

The agreement to suddenly de-escalate the situation came on June 24 evening, after Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko held talks with Prigozhin, according to Russian TV channel Rossiya 24.

Hours later, a video emerged purportedly showing Wagner troops leaving Rostov, and their leader being driven away to the cheers and handshakes of supporters.

Earlier, Kadyrov said that a string of failed business deals caused Prigozhin's underlying and lasting resentment, which reached its peak when the authorities in St Petersburg failed to provide his daughter with a desirable plot of land.

"The arrogance of one man could have led to such dangerous consequences and drawn a large number of people into the conflict," stressed the head of the republic.