Russian mercenary leader's exile ends revolt but leaves questions about Putin's power - CNA

Moscow had braced for the arrival of the Wagner forces by erecting checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on the city’s southern edge. About 3,000 Chechen soldiers were pulled from fighting in Ukraine and rushed there early Saturday, state television in Chechnya reported. Russian troops armed with machine guns put up checkpoints on Moscow's southern outskirts. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march.

Wagner troops advanced to just 200km from Moscow, according to Prigozhin. But after the deal was struck, Prigozhin announced that he had decided to retreat to avoid “shedding Russian blood”.

Prigozhin had demanded the ouster of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom Prigohzhin has long criticised in withering terms for his conduct of the 16-month-long war in Ukraine. On Friday, he accused forces under Shoigu's command of attacking Wagner camps and killing “a huge number of our comrades”.

If Putin were to agree to Shoigu’s ouster, it could be politically damaging for the president after he branded Prigozhin a backstabbing traitor.

The US had intelligence that Prigozhin had been building up his forces near the border with Russia for some time. That conflicts with Prigozhin’s claim that his rebellion was a response to an attack on his camps in Ukraine on Friday by the Russian military.

In announcing the rebellion, Prigozhin accused Russian forces of attacking the Wagner camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He alleged that General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu in which they decided to destroy the military contractor.

The Defence Ministry denied attacking the camps.

Congressional leaders were briefed on the Wagner buildup earlier last week, a person familiar with the matter said. The person was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The US intelligence briefing was first reported by CNN.

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2023-06-25 05:29:29Z
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Couple sever ties with son who borrows from loan sharks 2 days after they clear his $10000 debt - AsiaOne

Enough is enough.

After helping to clear her son's $10,000 debt, a mother was horrified to learn that her son, surnamed Xiao, soon borrowed from five different groups of loansharks, who began harassing her and her husband as well as other relatives.

Both her and her husband have since declared their intention to sever ties with Xiao, indicating that they no longer have the ability to help him, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Speaking to reporters from the Chinese evening daily, Huang, 57, who was born in Malaysia, shared how Xiao is her son from a previous marriage, along with two other daughters. Her ex-husband died 22 years ago.

She later met and married her current husband, surnamed Su, 68, and moved to Singapore.

Huang indicated that Xiao was born and raised in Malaysia, but had previously worked illegally in New Zealand for several years. However, he became unemployed during the pandemic.

Xiao unexpectedly arrived in Singapore in June 2022, living alone while working at a recreation club as a server.

However, Huang found out that he had borrowed money from loan sharks in March this year, owing $11,000. Huang and her husband decided to cough up the sum to help Xiao.

[[nid:628063]]

"We helped him pay off about $10,000 on April 17, but who knew that two days later he would go on to borrow $1,000 each from five other groups of moneylenders," said Huang.

The couple shared that they took over Xiao's bank account after paying his debt, indicating that he had to go through them for any expenses required. It was an arrangement he agreed to, said Huang.

However, Xiao then lied to the bank that he lost his ATM card and requested for a new card. Thereafter, he withdrew the remaining thousands of dollars in his account.

Huang shared that both she and Su have no source of income and are no longer able to help Xiao, who has since become uncontactable.

The last time that she was in touch with Xiao was on June 13, said Huang. She added that in the past, he would always contact her to borrow money, without ever paying her back.

"He has disappeared for several days now and deleted all his social media accounts. He's already 33 years old and still has so many issues," Huang chided.

Huang stated that Xiao had denied having a gambling addiction, but never once gave them a reason for borrowing money.

"Whenever we asked him he would keep quiet. When we asked if it is because of gambling, he said no," the couple shared.

[[nid:634013]]

Sister, cousins and colleagues harassed

Not only have the couple been affected by Xiao's actions, Huang indicated that even his cousins in Malaysia and China, as well as his sister living in the UK have received threatening text messages from loan sharks.

Huang's son-in-law also claimed to have seen a post online with Xiao's face, indicating that he was a debtor.

Huang added that Xiao's colleagues have also been the receiving end of harassment by loan sharks. The manager of the restaurant he works at has also informed the couple that if her son continues to be uncontactable, his work permit will be revoked.

Huang described her son as a "frequent customer" of illegal moneylenders since the age of 18, sharing that he had borrowed from them at the time when he came to Singapore for work.

"He was renting a flat in Bedok with several others and the loan sharks went over and locked their gate. The other residents could not leave the flat and called me. That's when I found out he had borrowed from loan sharks," said Huang.

Su shared that he'd received incessant harassment calls from the loan sharks at the time and vaguely recalled helping Xiao pay off the debt of at least $1,200.

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candicecai@asiaone.com

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Wagner chief to leave Russia for Belarus in deal to ease crisis - CNA

The measures came after Prigozhin announced his troops had taken control of the military command centre and airbase in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve centre of Russia's offensive in Ukraine.

"A BLOW TO RUSSIA"

Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prigozhin of a "stab in the back" that posed a threat to Russia's very survival.

"Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and to our people," Putin said, demanding national unity.

"Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason," Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who began building his power base as a catering contractor.

Another Putin ally, Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, declared that he had dispatched his own units to help quash the Wagner rebellion.

Armed Wagner fighters deployed around administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks were seen in the city centre.

As the insurrection force headed north through Voronezh and Lipetsk towards Moscow, the capital's mayor announced that "anti-terrorist" measures were being taken.

Critical facilities were "under reinforced protection", TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source.

While Prigozhin's outfit fought at the forefront of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, he repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths.

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2023-06-24 23:24:00Z
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Rebel Wagner mercenaries barrel towards Moscow after seizing Russian military sites - CNA

PRIGOZHIN'S REVOLT

Prigozhin, a former convict and long-time ally of Putin, leads a private army that includes thousands of former prisoners recruited from Russian jails.

His men took on the fiercest fighting of the 16-month Ukraine war, including the protracted battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut.

He railed for months against the regular army's top brass, accusing generals of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters. This month, he defied orders to sign a contract placing his troops under Defence Ministry command.

He launched the apparent mutiny on Friday after alleging that the military had killed many of his fighters in an air strike. The Defence Ministry denied it.

"There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country," he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner's way. He later said his men had been involved in clashes with regular soldiers and had shot down a helicopter.

Anna Matveeva, senior visiting research fellow at King's College's Russia Institute, said Prigozhin was a popular figure whose men were well-equipped and trained, after doing the heavy lifting in Ukraine in recent months.

"They are a force to be reckoned with", said Matveeva, adding that Wagner's success or failure would depend on the allies it could find within Russia's security forces.

Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider.

"Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority," he said.

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2023-06-24 14:55:00Z
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Putin vows to punish 'traitors' from Wagner mercenary group accused of mutiny - CNA

On Friday, he had appeared to cross a new line in the feud, saying that Putin's stated rationale for invading Ukraine 16 months ago was based on lies concocted by the army's top brass.

"The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' (of Russia) medal," Prigozhin said in a video clip.

"The war wasn't needed to demilitarise or denazify Ukraine," he said, referring to Putin's justifications for the war.

In one of many overnight frenzied audio messages, he had then made clear that he was moving against the army.

"Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance," he said.

"There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country," he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner's way. He later said his men had been involved in clashes with regular soldiers and had shot down a helicopter.

Prigozhin denied that he was trying to stage a military coup.

He said he had led his fighters out of Ukraine to Rostov, where a video posted by a pro-Wagner Telegram channel showed him, seemingly relaxed, conversing with two generals at the headquarters of Russia's huge Southern Military District.

The video showed him telling the generals: "We have arrived here, we want to receive the chief of the general staff and Shoigu. Unless they come, we'll be here, we'll blockade the city of Rostov and head for Moscow."

The state news agency TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that all of Russia's main security services were reporting to Putin "round the clock".

Security was being tightened in Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel.

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2023-06-24 07:57:00Z
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'The audio gets to you': What it takes for Singapore police to investigate child porn cases - CNA

“There’s always a sense of helplessness because the victims are children,” ASP Chen recounted.

“Some of them are even infants, toddlers, and the experience affects you quite severely because some of these videos depict very, very, extremely violent sexual abuse on the child.”

Frustration comes into play when she unsuccessfully attempts to find out where the victim is, so he or she can be rescued.

She added: “It can be quite mentally overwhelming at times, but then again, despite all these emotions, what spurs me to process all this material is the fact that the offender is still out there.

"Offenders still continue hurting children, and it strengthens my resolve to want to find a breakthrough so that we can try to identify the child.”

HELPING ACCUSED PERSONS

HT Cares officer Joseph Chew, who is also a trained counsellor from Fei Yue Community Services, comes in after suspects are arrested - he advises them on how to seek help to avoid reoffending.

Even before alleged offenders are brought to trial, they are given the opportunity, if they want it, to identify underlying social issues such as a longing for intimacy or low self-esteem that contributed to what they are accused of doing.

Mr Chew is currently supporting three clients involved in child sexual abuse material cases.

“A lot of them (struggle with) addiction to material of sexual content or pornographic material. Some of them became reliant or dependent … so we will actually refer them to an agency that has support pertaining to the behaviour that they have,” he added.

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2023-06-24 08:09:05Z
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Wagner chief claims his forces downed Russian military helicopter, says fighters 'ready to die' - CNA

"PROVOCATION"

The Russian defence ministry denied Prigozhin's claims of an attack on his forces, saying the statements "do not correspond to reality", and calling them a "provocation".

It later said Ukrainian troops were taking advantage of the infighting to ready an assault near the east Ukraine hotspot of Bakhmut.

A prominent Russian general urged Prigozhin to call off efforts to remove the leadership of Moscow's defence ministry.

"I urge you to stop," Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russia's aerospace forces, said in a highly unusual video address.

"The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to worsen in our country. Before it is too late, it is necessary... to obey the will and order of the popularly elected President of the Russian Federation".

Anti-Kremlin figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky, however, urged Russians to support Prigozhin, saying it was acceptable to back "even the devil" in taking on the Kremlin.

Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War said the Wagner chief's attempt to force a leadership change in the defence ministry "is unlikely to succeed" given that Surovikin had denounced his call for rebellion.

Kyiv's defence ministry said it was monitoring the situation.

"We are watching," the Ukrainian defence ministry tweeted, while Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said rival Russian factions had begun to "eat each other over power and money".

Ukraine was also on high alert after new Russian missile strikes Saturday, with explosions reported in Kyiv and the eastern city of Kharkiv.

US President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation in Russia and Washington "will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments", National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said.

On Friday, Prigozhin said Moscow's forces were retreating in Ukraine's east and south following the start of Kyiv's counteroffensive early this month. That directly contradicted Putin's account that Ukraine was suffering "catastrophic" losses and that there was a lull in fighting.

"We are washing ourselves in blood," Prigozhin said.

"No one is bringing reserves. What they tell us is the deepest deception," he added, referring to the Russian military and political leadership.

QUESTIONING MILITARY OPERATION

After years of operating in the shadows, Prigozhin has now admitted to running the elusive mercenary group Wagner and even interfering in US elections.

His forces, bolstered by tens of thousands of prison recruits, played a central role in Russia's capture of the town of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk, the longest and bloodiest battle of the conflict.

However, this week he accused Moscow's top brass of deceiving Russians about the offensive in Ukraine.

"Why did the special military operation begin?" he said. "The war was needed for the self-promotion of a bunch of bastards."

Rarely has such a controversial figure shot to this degree of prominence on the Russian political stage under Putin.

Prigozhin rose from a modest background to become part of the inner circle around Putin.

He spent nine years in prison in the final period of the USSR after being convicted of fraud and theft. In the chaos of the 1990s, he began a moderately successful business selling hot dogs.

From there he fell into the restaurant business and opened a luxury location in Saint Petersburg whose customers included Putin, then making the transition from working in the KGB to local politics.

However, in recent months, Prigozhin has become embroiled in a bitter power struggle with the defence ministry.

He has accused the Russian military of attempting to "steal" victories in Ukraine from his forces, and slammed Moscow's "monstrous bureaucracy" for slowing military gains.

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2023-06-24 01:25:00Z
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