After Russia’s most serious political crisis in decades, uncertainty swirled Monday about the fate of the former Putin ally who led a brief armed rebellion, his Wagner mercenary group, and the two military chiefs with whom he has clashed over the conduct of the war in Ukraine.

Also unclear were the impact on the 16-month-old invasion — and the future of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faced the most serious challenge to his authority in more than 20 years of rule.

A feud between Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russia’s top military brass amid the fighting in Ukraine erupted into a mutiny that saw fighters from the mercenary group leave the front in Ukraine to seize a south Russian city and march seemingly unopposed on the capital, before turning around after less than 24 hours on Saturday.

The Kremlin said it had made a deal that the mercenary chief