"Chief of the paramilitary organization Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, arrived in Belarus yesterday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has confirmed. Lukashenko said that Wagner could help the Belarusian military by sharing their experience, tactics, and weapons. NATO members Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania have warned that Wagner’s arrival in Belarus could spell trouble for them. Paul Kirby reports for BBC News. 

Russia’s domestic intelligence agency yesterday said it was dropping “armed mutiny” criminal charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin and members of his paramilitary organization Wagner group. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that the mercenary group’s fighters were preparing to hand over military equipment to the army. Valerie Hopkins reports for the New York Times. 

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko yesterday said he stopped Russian President Vladimir Putin from making a “harsh decision.” His assertion suggests that Putin planned to kill Yevgeny Prigozhin. Robyn Dixon and Mary Ilyushina report for the Washington Post. 

General Sergei Surovikin, the former top Russian commander in Ukraine, knew of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plans for armed action against Russia’s military leadership, according to U.S. officials. This revelation has prompted questions about what support Prigozhin had inside Russia’s leadership. U.S. officials also said other Russian generals may have supported Prigozhin’s attempt to change the leadership of the Defense Ministry by force. Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.

The armed action in Russia may increase the bipartisan pressure to spend more on aid to Ukraine, even if that means breaking the debt limit deal that capped defense funding at the administration’s request of $886 billion. Bipartisan support for further arming Kyiv runs deep in Congress. However, there are vocal conservatives, and some progressives, that oppose more U.S. aid. Joe Gould, Connor O’Brien, Lee Hudson, and Paul Mcleary report for POLITICO.

Ukrainian forces are “highly likely” to have recaptured land in the country’s eastern Donbas region, occupied by Russia since 2014, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said yesterday. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s counter-offensive was advancing on all fronts. Alys Davies reports for BBC News. "

"Russian President Vladimir Putin fueled speculation about a broader crackdown on supporters of Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the paramilitary organization Wagner group, this week. Several unverified reports by pro-war Russian blogs suggested that the authorities were investigating military service members with ties to Prigozhin. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, a senior military official, is said to have known about, and possibly supported, the armed action in advance. Anton Troianovski reports for the New York Times. 

Satellite imagery shows that Belarus is rapidly building what appear to be temporary structures at an abandoned military base, revealing a possible location for the paramilitary organization Wagner group troops who chose to relocate to Belarus after the failed armed action in Russia. Christoph Koettl, Riley Mellen, and Dmitriy Khavin report for the New York Times. 

Leaders of NATO members Estonia and Poland yesterday warned of the dangers of the paramilitary organization Wagner group’s potential relocation to Belarus. “Belarus is unpredictable and dangerous, and this has not changed,” Kaja Kallas, Estonia’s prime minister, said. Polish President Andrzej Duda said the Wagner presence in Belarus threatened NATO’s eastern-flank allies. Cora Engelbrecht and Steven Erlanger report for the New York Times. 

Russia has assured the paramilitary organization Wagner group’s client states that its services would continue without interruption as Russia tries to take control of its operations. Wagner operates in numerous nations in Africa and the Middle East. Around 6,000 Wagner personnel work outside Russia and Ukraine, from defending mines, oil wells, and politicians to combat operations. Benoit Faucon, Joe Parkinson, and Drew Hinshaw report for the Wall Street Journal."

"William J. Burns, the C.I.A. director, called Sergei Naryshkin, the leader of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, after last week’s armed action to assure the Kremlin that the United States had no involvement in it, according to a U.S. official. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has appeared to accept that the United States was not involved, noting that the United States also urged Ukraine to refrain from trying to take advantage of the rebellion. Julian E. Barnes reports for the New York Times. 

The Russian government is moving to take control of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s companies and boost the recruitment of paramilitary organization Wagner group forces to state-backed mercenary companies. Joe Parkinson, Benoit Faucon, and Drew Hinshaw report for the Wall Street Journal. 

The paramilitary organization Wagner group’s armed action is a sign of the war’s “corrosive” effect on Russia, said CIA Director William J. Burns on Saturday. “Disaffection with the war will continue to gnaw away at the Russian leadership” and create a “once in a generation opportunity” for U.S. intelligence, Burns added. Kelsey Ables, Adela Suliman, Nick Parker, and Karen DeYoung report for the Washington Post. 

Ukrainian forces have said they are ready for any threat from Belarus after Belarus’ President Aleksandr Lukashenko invited paramilitary organization Wagner group members who had participated in a rebellion against Russian forces to relocate to an “abandoned” military base in his country. Megan Specia reports for the New York Times.

CIA Director William J. Burns secretly visited Ukraine last month, where officials revealed an ambitious strategy to end the war. The strategy aims to retake Russian-occupied territory and open cease-fire negotiations with Moscow by the end of the year, officials familiar with the visit said. John Hudson and Shane Harris report for the Washington Post. 

Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russia will be difficult and “very bloody,” Gen. Mark Milley said. Milley said he was unsurprised that progress had been slower than predicted – but added that Ukraine was “advancing steadily.” Alexandra Fouché reports for BBC News. 

Ukraine today said its forces gained some ground along eastern and southern fronts in the past week, reclaiming 14.4 square miles of territory. Pavel Polityuk reports for Reuters. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russian forces plan to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, said that Russians had planted explosives next to four of the six reactors and mined the cooling pond that supplies water to chill the reactors and spent fuel. Fredrick Kunkle and Kostiantyn Khudov report for the Washington Post."