The Kremlin said Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin had agreed to leave Russia for Belarus as part of a deal to end his armed uprising, with charges against him being dropped.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, said that Prigozhin’s militia fighters would not be charged “for their actions at the front.” He added that some of the Wagner fighters who “came to their senses” and did not participate in the uprising will sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Prigozhin announced on Saturday night that Wagner’s mercenaries had abandoned their attempted mutiny just hours before a possible attack on Moscow. It was the first coup attempt in Russia in three decades.
In a deal brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin said his convoy of troops, weapons and tanks would stop their journey towards Moscow and return to their bases after 24 hours of crisis during which the Kremlin hastened to turn the capital into a fortress for fighting. off the rebels.
The moment when blood was shed has come. Understanding all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood will be spilled on one side, Prigozhin said in an audio note posted on social media, we are running our convoy and returning to our base camps, according to the plan.
He did not specify what the “plan” was.
Peskov said Putin asked Lukashenko to mediate, hoping to avoid further bloodshed because the Belarusian leader has known Prigozhin for 20 years.
Peskov called Saturday’s uprising — in which Wagner shot down several military helicopters, captured a major military command post and marched most of the way from the Ukrainian border to Moscow — as “rather difficult” and “full of tragic events.” But, he said, “there were higher goals of escaping bloodshed and internal confrontation.”
Peskov said Putin would not make any further comments about the incident, adding that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would continue.
Wagner paramilitaries loyal to Prigozhin began leaving Rostov on Saturday night, according to state news agency TASS. A video posted online by state media and Wagner’s social media channels showed the fighters thanking local residents, who clapped, cheered and cheered in support.
The governor of a Russian province on the way to Prigozhin’s uprising said officials would start rolling back security restrictions.
Igor Artamonov, the governor of Lipetsk, said the region “will begin to remove restrictions imposed today” and reopen federal highways that have been closed. He said they have already started rebuilding the roads that were damaged in progress.
We have all stood up to defend our country’s interests with honor and dignity. The Lipetsk region will not let the president and Russia down, ”Artamonov wrote on social media.
Putin had earlier vowed to crush the rebellion and accused Wagner of “treason” which posed a “mortal threat to our state” compared to the 1917 revolution that led to the collapse of imperial Russia.
Prigozhin’s attempted mutiny followed months of bitter infighting between the warlord and commanders of Russia’s armed forces, exacerbated by 16 months of war against Ukraine.
The conflict has failed to achieve its goals, crippled the country’s economy, cost tens of thousands of lives, and created a dangerous patchwork of competing militias and security forces.
Prigozhin had previously said that his Wagner troops no longer wanted to live “under corruption, lies and bureaucracy”.
Lukashenko’s press service said Saturday that the agreement came after the Belarusian leader spent “the whole day” negotiating with Prigozhin after “agreeing on joint measures” with Putin and “further clarifying the situation through his own channels.”
It said that Prigozhin had accepted (Lukashenko’s) request “to stop the movement of militants from the Wagner Company on Russian soil and (to take) further steps to calm the situation.”
And the press service added: “At the moment, a completely acceptable and useful way to defuse the situation is on the table, with security guarantees for the Wagner fighters.”
Belarus said Putin thanked Lukashenko. “The President of Russia supported and thanked his Belarusian colleague for his work,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said that Kiev forces “launched an offensive in several directions at the same time” on Saturday, apparently seizing an opportunity to counterattack against Moscow’s forces while a power struggle was underway in Russia.
“In the direction of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, Bohdanivka, Yahidne, Klishchiivka, Kurdyumivka… there is progress in all directions,” Malyar said.
And she continued, “The enemy is on the defensive, and is making great efforts to stop our offensive actions.” At the same time, the enemy suffers significant losses in personnel, weapons and equipment.
Maliar said several Russian attacks in the east were repelled with the support of heavy artillery and air power.
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mocked Prigozhin for failing to topple the Russian president.
“Prigozhin’s colossal selection. . . She almost eliminated Putin, took control of the central authorities, reached Moscow and suddenly. . . tweeted Mykhailo Podolac.
Podolak predicted that Prigozhin might be in danger of being assassinated, saying “Because of the fear that Putin’s elite has experienced over the past 24 hours, this order will certainly be carried out.”
Additional reporting by Christopher Miller and Roman Olarchik in Kiev