Wagner mutiny shocks Russian heartland, revealing mixed loyalties

VORONEZH, Russia -- Bomb craters, shelled homes, shocked residents -- the rebellion launched by the Wagner Group, a private army funded by the Kremlin, has left scars in Russia's farming heartland.

On June 24, a convoy of mercenaries sped along the M4 motorway from southern Russia towards Moscow with the aim of toppling the country's military leaders.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, once a shadowy figure who seemed to prefer to remain out of the limelight, in recent months became increasingly visible and critical of Moscow's approach to the war in Ukraine, blaming Russian generals for thousands of Russian casualties.

The feud came to a breaking point when Prigozhin led a short-lived mutiny -- ostensibly to resist efforts to fold Wagner into the Defence Ministry structure -- seized the headquarters of the Southern Military District and marched on Moscow.

In still unexplained circumstances, there were clashes with regular Russian forces in Voronezh province, part of the Black Earth belt known for its fertile soil.

"We heard a plane... it circled and circled, then a whistle and a boom. Then a second one," said Lyubov, a nurse at the hospital in the town of Anna.

"Some people's windows were blown out, and the plaster fell from the ceiling in our house outside the town. Everyone was scared," the 65-year-old said as she waited for a bus in the rain.

Just outside the village, bomb craters surrounded by scorched trees could be seen on the side of the road, where the guardrail had been smashed through.

Prigozhin has said two of his men were killed and several injured in clashes. Counts vary, but some sources say the mercenaries shot down six Russian helicopters and a warplane.

Once a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin is now in exile in Belarus after a deal with the Kremlin to end his 24-hour insurrection. Russia's government is at pains to show the crisis is over.

There is still no official death toll or any kind of explanation of what exactly happened in those tense hours.

In the village of Yelizavetovka in another part of Voronezh province, 19 houses were damaged by fighting.

"There were a firefight and shelling. Thank God it was in the early morning and everyone was sleeping," said one village resident, who declined to be named.

A local government official then asked AFP reporters to leave the village, saying residents were still "too shaken" to speak and she did not want a "negative" portrayal of the area.

'Uncertainty remains'

In the provincial capital, Voronezh, a fuel depot caught fire during the insurrection.

A video that circulated on social media showed a helicopter flying overhead as the depot's reservoirs burned and what appeared to be missiles flying past.

The burnt-out oil reservoirs could be seen along one of the city's main thoroughfares next to a shopping centre.

Local residents spoke of their fear over what happened, and many said they had stayed in their homes for the duration.

Several said they were relieved the crisis had been brought to a swift end and praised the Kremlin's actions.

"We don't need a war. We don't need anything here," said the nurse in Anna.

"I hope to God everything will be OK. I think it will be because we have Putin."

Others said they still did not feel safe, and some even expressed support for Prigozhin and his fellow mutineers.

"He's right. Everyone supports him, but they're too scared to say it," one Voronezh resident told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity like many who expressed dissenting views.

"Everyone is talking about this in their cars and in their kitchens, but they're afraid to even say something online. You can go to prison for that," she said.

Inna, a 60-year-old retired psychologist resting on a park bench, said she rushed out to buy food out of fear as soon as she heard about the insurrection.

She said there was "nothing reassuring" about how the crisis was resolved. "The uncertainty remains; there is mistrust about what happened."

She said there was "some" sympathy towards Wagner among the local population.

Another resident said Russia's actions in Ukraine were the root cause behind what happened and added that Russian troops should pull out.

"I think Putin is at fault here. He has brought out the darkness in life."