June 28, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin planned to seize two of Russia top military officials when he launched a short-lived mutiny on Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing Western officials.

Prigozhin’s plot involved the capture of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and top army general Valery Gerasimov when the pair visited a region along the border of Ukraine, according to the WSJ.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) learned of the plot two days before it was due to take place, forcing Prigozhin to change his plans at the last minute and launch a march towards Moscow instead, according to the report. 

Wagner mercenaries took control of a key military base in the city of Rostov-on-Don, and his troops were approaching the Russian capital when Prigozhin called off his mutiny.

When asked about the WSJ report, two European security sources told CNN that while it was likely Prigozhin would have expressed a desire to capture Russian military leaders, there was no assessment as to whether he had a credible plan to do so.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the target hit in Tuesday’s missile strike in Kramatorsk was actually a temporary command post of the Ukrainian army unit. Ukrainian authorities say the strike hit a pizza restaurant, killing at least 10 people.

"In the city of Kramatorsk of the Donetsk People's Republic, the point of temporary deployment of the commanders of the 56th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was hit," according to the Russian daily defense ministry statement.

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian Security Service said it has detained a man who allegedly scouted the Kramatorsk pizzeria and sent a video to the Russian Armed Forces prior to the strike.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also reiterated the claim that Russia does not strike at civilian infrastructure and are only carried out on places connected with military infrastructure.

The Russian defense ministry added that the Russian Air Force carried out strikes with high-precision weapons on Ukrainian oil refining and fuel storage facilities that supply the Ukraine Armed Forces in the eastern Donbas region.

According to Pavlo Kyrylenko, Ukrainian head of Dontesk region military administration, Russia attacked using Iskander missiles. The strike damaged 32 buildings, he added.

CNN's Yulia Kesaieva in Kyiv contributed reporting to this post.

Switzerland's Federal Council rejected a request on Wednesday from defense firm RUAG concerning the export of 96 Leopard 1 A5 tanks destined for Ukraine, "as it is inconsistent with applicable law," according to a statement by the government. 

On Tuesday, RUAG submitted an export request for the resale of 96 used and non-operational Leopard 1 A5 tanks, according to the government.

"The tanks are currently in storage in Italy and would require refurbishment in Germany before being re-exported to Ukraine," the government statement said. 

Key background: Switzerland has been a neutral country since 1815, with its legal framework ensuring it does not send weapons directly or indirectly to belligerent states. Since Russia’s war on Ukraine began, the country has faced increasing pressure from its European neighbors to approve the re-exportation of weapons to Ukraine.

Switzerland did, however, break its neutrality status quo shortly after the war began by adopting European Union sanctions in March 2022. 

CNN's Inke Kappeler and Jessie Gretener contributed reporting to this post.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that China's position on the war in Ukraine is likely "getting more and more challenging" for Beijing to maintain.

Blinken noted that Russia's war had come up in his conversations while in Beijing last week, and "we agreed that it's something that we need to keep talking about."

"There may come a point, if there is an opening for genuine diplomacy and negotiation, where China can play a positive and productive role. That's still, alas, I think far in the future. But I think some of the tensions between the dual roles that China is trying to play are more and more apparent," Blinken said. 

Some background: China voiced support for Russia after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's short-lived insurrection.

"As Russia’s friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination for the new era, China supports Russia in maintaining national stability and achieving development and prosperity," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in an online statement.

China has refused to condemn the invasion and instead provided much-needed diplomatic and economic support for Russia, a position that has further soured its relations with Western nations, especially in Europe.

Wagner chief Yevegny Prigozhin's attempted rebellion was "a direct challenge to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's authority," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. 

Blinken called the short-lived revolt "fundamentally an internal matter that the Russians and Putin are going to have to reckon with," but suggested that the "cracks" inside Moscow were not a secret. 

"You see dissension in the ranks, and it's not as if you need a satellite to figure that out," he said in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." 

The top US diplomat said that questions of Russian leadership "are choices for Russians to make, not for us to make." He reiterated that the United States is focused instead on its support for Ukraine.

Affect on Ukraine: Blinken said the aftermath of the rebellion could be beneficial to Ukraine's counteroffensive.

"To the extent that Moscow is distracted by its own internal divisions, that may help," he said.

"I think there's some opportunity here, but it is early days, and I think this will play out not over the next days, but over the next weeks and months," he said.

Switzerland is expanding its sanctions on Russia to be in line with the latest round of sanctions by the European Union, Switzerland's government said in a statement Wednesday. 

The expanded sanctions will come into effect at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET) Wednesday and will target individuals and organizations that support the alleged illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, as well as Russian officials, members of the military and members of the Wagner group. 

On June 23, the EU imposed financial and travel sanctions on an additional 71 individuals and 33 entities. The assets of those individuals and entities in Switzerland will be frozen, and the individuals concerned will be prohibited from entering or transiting Switzerland, the government said. 

"Following today's amendments, Switzerland's sanctions list in connection with Russia's military aggression against Ukraine corresponds to that of the EU," the government said. 

Some context: Back during the beginning of the war in February 2022, Switzerland announced that it would forego its commitment to traditional “Swiss neutrality” in favor of adopting sanctions against Russia.

European allies must boost their defense readiness against both Russian and Belarus, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said Wednesday during a joint news conference with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Brussels.

When asked whether Wagner mercenaries in Belarus pose a risk to Estonia, Kallas said, "We have been considering Belarus as a co-aggressor here. So they have been working together with Russia all the time. So what we know about Russia and Belarus is that they are unpredictable, and they are dangerous. And that hasn't changed."

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has arrived in Belarus, the country’s President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday, and satellite imagery shows two planes linked to Prigozhin landed at a Belarusian airbase outside the country’s capital on Tuesday morning. Lukashenko also said yesterday that most of the tactical nuclear weapons Russia plans to station in Belarus have already arrived. 

Kallas said Estonia is committed to help with the reconstruction of Ukraine and that Russian leaders must be held accountable for their actions.

“Ukraine is the victim of Russian war. And according to the international law, it must be compensated by Russia; we need a solution that would allow to use the frozen assets which have been seized with sanctions from Russian citizens and companies to compensate the damages. My government is also working with a legal draft to do this, but we need a European solution," she said. 

Speaking alongside Kallas, Metsola said international loopholes need to be closed and sanctions on Russia increased.

"We welcome the 11th package of sanctions the additional 50 billion euros in support for reconstruction announced last week and we finally need to advance on using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine's reconstruction," Metsola said. 

She also said the attempted Wagner rebellion in Russia raises questions about the "fragility of the Russian state."

“The latest events in Russia have raised a number of questions relating to the internal dynamics and fragility of the Russian state, its effect on the invasion of Ukraine and for European security," Metsola said. "So for the EU, the most important thing is to stay the course; we cannot be distracted by Kremlin politics and we need to continue with, and keep stepping up our support for Ukraine in this context."

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday that Wagner had been offered the use of some the country's abandoned land following its short-lived rebellion but denied building camps on Belarusian territory for the mercenary group.

“We are not building any camps yet. But if they want, we will accommodate them. Set up tents, please. But for now they are in Luhansk (in eastern Ukraine) in their camps,” Lukashenko said.

Wagner troops remain in Ukraine after the weekend mutiny, the US Defense Department said Tuesday.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder declined to speculate Tuesday on Wagner forces' "specific disposition and whether they may or may not move (or) be moving."

Read more here.

The Kremlin has dismissed a report in the New York Times about a Russian general allegedly knowing in advance about Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plans to attempt a mutiny in Russia over the weekend, calling the story “speculation and rumors.”

The New York Times reported that United States officials are trying to learn if Gen. Sergey Surovikin, the former top Russian commander in Ukraine, helped to plan Prigozhin’s armed rebellion in Russia last weekend.

Surovikin was replaced in January by General Valery Gerasimov – who has been among the members of Russia’s top military brass lambasted by Prigozhin for making “mistakes” during the invasion of Ukraine.

The New York Times reported that Prigozhin’s decision to launch a mutiny may have been influenced by his belief that he would receive support from senior military officials in Moscow.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied the report Wednesday.

CNN has not been able to independently verify the New York Times story.