In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky could scarcely contain his delight at the Russian infighting and instability, which can only serve to further corrode the morale and purpose of Russia’s troops as their Ukrainian adversaries push forward.
Ukraine’s forces claim advance
“Today the world saw that the bosses of Russia do not control anything. Nothing at all. Complete chaos. Complete absence of any predictability,” Mr Zelensky said in his Saturday evening television address.
Ukraine’s military claimed at the weekend to have advanced further near the town of Bakhmut, in the heavily contested Donbas region, which was where Wagner’s forces were previously concentrated.
In Kyiv, though, Russia reportedly fired more than 50 cruise missiles at the capital over the weekend. Forty-one were supposedly intercepted, but one hit a high-rise apartment compound, killing three and injuring 11.
Although the war rumbles on, there are heavy question marks hanging over Russia’s military high command – in particular over the immediate future and authority of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and army chief General Valery Gerasimov, who were the primary targets of Mr Prigozhin’s ire.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked if the two men’s future had been part of the discussions that led to Mr Prigozhin’s surrender to Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko.
“These matters are the sole prerogative and within the competence of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief [Putin] in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Therefore, it is unlikely that these topics could have been discussed in the course of the above-mentioned contacts,” Mr Peskov obliquely responded.
It is unclear whether Mr Prigozhin’s enforced exile to Belarus, ruled by close Putin ally Mr Lukashenko, will staunch his stream of bitter public criticism of the Russian military’s strategy and tactics in Ukraine.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves Rostov at the weekend. Getty
He seemed unrepentant on Sunday (AEST), claiming he had called off his adventure to avoid spilling Russian blood, rather than admitting any kind of defeat.
“Now the moment has come when blood can be shed,” he said on Telegram. “Therefore, realising all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood will be shed from one side, we will turn our convoys around and go in the opposite direction to our field camps.”
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One very likely outcome is that Mr Prigozhin will no longer directly lead or control the Wagner forces in Ukraine, casting doubt on the future of the mercenary group that has serviced Kremlin interests as far afield as Syria, Chad and the Central African Republic.
The military will surely also be wondering just how far they can count on the loyalty and continued service of the Ukraine-based mercenaries, who may number up to 25,000.
Mr Prigozhin’s critique of the Kremlin top brass has been echoed by many militant Russian ultra-nationalists. It is not yet clear whether they will be disaffected with him for taking his discontent too far, or disappointed that he did not follow through.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation after the mutiny broke out. AP
Mr Putin on Saturday condemned the march on Moscow as “betrayal” and “treason”, warning of civil war. But he has not immediately responded to Mr Prigozhin’s withdrawal from the southern city of Rostov, and may even have left Moscow at the weekend.
He reportedly telephoned key regional allies over the weekend. He will be worried that important partners such as Chinese President Xi Jinping will be re-evaluating their assessments of his durability and reliability.
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In the West, pleasure at Mr Putin’s difficulties was tempered by what had briefly seemed in prospect: one of the world’s most heavily nuclear-armed states potentially descending into chaos and instability, and ending up in the hands of someone even more bellicose than the incumbent.
For now, calm has returned to the streets of Rostov and Moscow, although an “anti-terrorist regime” remains in place for the coming days. Yet, a sense of unease will surely linger. And if nothing else, Mr Prigozhin’s belligerent sally has underscored just how quickly and unexpectedly events can unfold.

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.