Russia seeks today to restore calm after the failed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries over the weekend, while Western allies assess how the president Vladimir Putin could restore his prestige and what that might mean for the war in Ukraine.

Ending this short-lived rebellion of theirs, its fighters Wagner halted their rapid advance on Moscow, withdrew from the southern Russian city of Rostov and headed back to their bases late Saturday night, as part of a deal to guarantee their safety. Based on this agreement, for which the Belarusian president mediated Alexander Lukashenko, their commander, the Yevgeny Prigozhinwill move to Belarus.

Today has declared a public holiday in Moscow and yesterday, Sunday, in the evening, few things showed that there are increased security measures in the capital.

The mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin stated today that removes the status of an anti-terrorist operation which had been imposed on Saturday in the Russian capital.

Russian media, citing local offices of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), reported that similar emergency measures were also imposed in the Voronezh and Moscow regions. Also, the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee announced that the situation in the country is “stable”.

The Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu, one of the main targets of Prigozhin’s anger, visited Russian troops participating in the military operation in Ukraine, the state-run RIA news agency reported today without specifying when or where.

However, the Putinwho has been in power for more than two decades, has yet to make a public comment after one of the biggest challenges to his power defused.

Confusion over the weekend’s extraordinary events has both Russia-friendly and hostile governments to they are looking for answers about what might happen then to this country, which has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world.

The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken he said the unrest could last months.

“We’ve seen other cracks appear in Russia’s facade,” Blinken said yesterday, Sunday, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko had talks in Beijing yesterday. It is unclear whether his visit to Russia’s strongest ally was precipitated by the Wagner mutiny.

“The Chinese side expressed support for the efforts of the leadership of the Russian Federation to stabilize the situation in the country in relation to the events of June 24, and confirmed its interest in strengthening the cohesion and further prosperity of Russia,” the Russian Foreign Ministry announced. .

China’s response was characteristically measured. He expressed support for Moscow’s efforts to maintain national stability, calling the events an “internal affair” of Russia.

The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky discussed events in Russia in separate phone calls with US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister TJustin Trudeau.

Biden and Trudeau they both expressed support to Ukrainewhich is continuing a counteroffensive to retake territory seized by Russia, according to official statements.

“The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored,” Zelensky tweeted.

State Russian television reported, without elaborating, that Putin would attend a meeting of the Russian Security Council this week, while Belarus’ Belta news agency reported that the Putin and Lukashenko they spoke again yesterday, Sunday, after at least two phone calls they had on Saturday.

In a televised address as the events unfolded on Saturday, Putin said the uprising threatened Russia’s very existence and vowed to punish those behind the rebellion, drawing parallels with the 1917 chaos that led to the Bolshevik revolution.

“The myth of the unity of Putin’s Russia is over … It is the inevitable result when you support and finance a legion of mercenaries,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, according to Italian newspaper “Il Messaggero.”

Prigozhin’s whereabouts unknown

According to the agreement, which was concluded late on Saturday night, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that criminal charges will be dropped against Prigozhin for armed rebellion, while he will go to Belarus and the Wagner fighters who supported him will face no consequences, in recognition of their past services to Russia.

Prigozhin, 62, was seen late Saturday night leaving the Rostov region military headquarters in an SUV. His whereabouts have not been known since.