Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu surfaced in public on Monday for the first time since a mutiny by Wagner mercenaries that failed to unseat him from the military top brass.
Footage on state television showed Mr Shoigu aboard a helicopter and inspecting troops at a command post for Russian forces in Ukraine.
Mr Shoigu – who was the focus of mutiny leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's ire as he marched his private army more than halfway to Moscow – was briefed on missions being undertaken by Russian forces, the ministry said.
Although the timing of the visit was unclear, the footage seemed to indicate that Mr Shoigu remained in charge after a weekend of chaos and confusion in Russia.
Mr Prigozhin has accused Russia's military leadership of incompetence and failing to equip his fighters as they battled to conquer Bakhmut in Ukraine.
On Saturday, the feud came to a head as Mr Prigozhin's troops took control of a military headquarters in southern Rostov-on-Don and advanced towards Moscow, before abruptly calling off their mutiny under a deal brokered by Belarus.
Wagner mutiny in Russia – in pictures
The truce offered Mr Prigozhin the opportunity to withdraw to Belarus and for his troops to be granted immunity, but it appeared he had failed to persuade the Kremlin to remove Mr Shoigu.
Neither Russia's President Vladimir Putin nor Mr Prigozhin have commented in public since the ceasefire announced by Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko.
There has been no word either from top Russian general Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, another target of Mr Prigozhin's anger over the conflict in Ukraine.
Ukraine's ambassador in Britain, Vadym Prystaiko, said on Monday that Mr Putin had been weakened by the events of recent days.
But speaking to Sky News, he said of Mr Prigozhin: “We’re not wishing him to win. All of them are enemies of ours."
Serhiy Nayev, commander of Ukraine's Joint Forces, responded to speculative reports that Wagner fighters could be moved to Belarus to attack Ukraine from the north.
“If this happens and the enemy tries to cross the state border, it will be nothing but suicide for them,” Mr Nayev said on the military's Telegram channel.
Moscow lifts security
On Monday, Moscow lifted an “anti-terrorist” security regime it had imposed over the weekend as it prepared for Wagner troops to reach the capital.
Mayor Sergey Sobyanin thanked citizens for their “calm and understanding” during the crisis.
Events were cancelled and travel restrictions were implemented along the road from Rostov to Moscow as Wagner forces advanced on Saturday. The Red Square, which is adjacent to the Kremlin, was blocked off by metal barriers.
The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said that the war was “cracking Russian power” after a weekend of cautious comments by western diplomats.
“The monster that Putin created with Wagner, the monster is biting him,” said Mr Borrell.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the full ramifications of the Wagner Group’s march on Moscow have yet to be felt.
“It's too soon to tell exactly where this is going to go,” he told CNN.
Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar meanwhile said troops had reclaimed 130 square kilometres of land from Russia since the start of its counter-offensive.
However, she said the situation in the south “has not undergone significant changes over the past week”. She said about 250 clashes had taken place along the eastern part of the front line.
Britain's Defence Ministry said in a regular intelligence update that Russia may lack the reserves of ground forces to reinforce its positions.
It said Ukraine had “gained impetus” around Bakhmut, the city fought over with Wagner troops in the months-long battle that exacerbated tensions between Mr Prigozhin and the Kremlin.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
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Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
