Russians Made Uneasy By Wagner Mutiny, Ukrainians Pleased At Internal Turmoil

The Prigozhin unrest, the biggest internal challenge to President Vladimir Putin as Russia's paramount leader for 23 years, has spurred global security concerns.

Muscovites on Saturday expressed unease or dismissed as political theatre a standoff pitting the Kremlin against Wagner mercenaries who had vowed to descend on the capital in a "march of justice" denouncing the conduct of the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainians, on the other hand, were clearly satisfied, sometimes gleeful, at the prospect of a split in Russian ranks 16 months after the Kremlin's troops invaded their country.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, had declared that a "counter-terrorism regime" was in force, before the leader of the Wagner private militia announced that his fighters would turn back to avoid bloodshed.

Yevgeny Prigozhin had said he wanted to oust the army's top brass and "restore justice", while Putin had promised to crush the mutiny.