Russian Rebellion: Wagner Forces Absorbed into Russian Army as Mercenary Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin Heads to Belarus | world News

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The dust seems to be settling after one of the most amazing days in Russia’s history in decades.

Sunday, June 25, 2023 07:34, United Kingdom

Some of the Wagner Group’s mercenaries will join the official Russian army after their leader cancels their march to Moscow and agrees to move to Belarus.

Yevgeny Prigozhin stopped his troops, who were heading towards the Russian capital, saying he wished to avoid Russian bloodshed.

His mercenaries were reportedly only 120 miles from Moscow after Prigozhin vowed to “destroy anyone who stands in our way”.

Photo: Yevgeny Prigozhin poses for a selfie as he leaves Rostov. Pic: AP

After negotiations with the Kremlin, Prigozhin, formerly known as “Putin’s chef,” called for an abrupt halt to the advance, which many observers called an attempted coup.

Chief Wagner Turns His Troops – The Last Russian Rebellion

As part of the agreement, the full details of which have yet to be revealed, it was reportedly decided that Prigozhin would leave Russia for Belarus and some of his Wagner fighters would be integrated into the Russian army.

Photo: Wagner’s forces reportedly advanced north to 120 miles from Moscow. Voronezh is located about 300 miles from the Russian capital.

The US reportedly had intelligence that Prigozhin had been massing his forces near the border with Russia for some time.

A person familiar with the matter said the officials briefed the congressional leaders known as the Gang of Eight about the military buildup earlier in the week.

The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The military preparations raise questions about Prigozhin’s interpretation of why he had sent his forces so spontaneously into Russia and whether instead he had long planned to challenge the Russian military leadership.

A voice message to Wagner’s leader asking for prior cancellation

Deborah Haynes, Sky News’ defense and security editor, said: “It all feels like a stage play versus the serious threat to the state that sounded earlier in the day.

“Vladimir Putin made this extraordinary statement earlier by cracking down on the actions of Prigozhin and his followers, but now everything seems to have been pardoned.

“The hope I suppose is that things can return to the abnormally normal that is life in Russia during this time of war in Ukraine.

“But the events were so unusual that I think it would take much longer to unravel exactly what happened.”

Wagner’s group cheered in the captured city

In his message, Prigozhin said: “Within 24 hours we reached a distance of 200 km from Moscow. During that time we did not shed a single drop of our men’s blood.

“Now though, the time has come for bloodshed. Therefore, mindful of our responsibility that Russian blood may be shed by one of the parties, we turn our columns and ride out in the opposite direction, to the field camps, according to the plan.”

After the armed insurrection was called off, the Kremlin said that all criminal charges against Prigozhin would be dropped, his Wagner fighters would not be prosecuted, and he would move to Belarus.

“Avoiding bloodshed is more important than punishing people,” a Kremlin spokesman said, adding that some Wagner fighters would be able to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry.

Alexander Lukashenko’s office said the decision to stop further movements of Wagner fighters was brokered by the Belarusian president, with the approval of President Vladimir Putin, in exchange for guarantees for their safety.

Read more: Ex-hot dog seller and thug who became Wagner’s boss At the center of the rebellion, Wagner’s mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is a disaster waiting to happen for Vladimir Putin, and Putin accuses the mercenary boss of treason.

The Kremlin said Lukashenko offered to mediate because he had known the mercenary leader personally for about 20 years.

Russia has recruited 3,000 elite Chechen soldiers to be stationed in Moscow and has machine-gunned its borders, in preparation for the special forces’ entry into the capital.

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Pro-Russian media reported that 13 Russian soldiers were killed as part of the mutiny – but Sky News was unable to verify this claim.

Earlier, the Russian president accused the leader of the Wagner Group of treason and leading an “armed rebellion”.

Putin accuses Prigozhin of treason

Putin condemned the actions of former ally Prigozhin, who was leading a rebellion to overthrow the Russian defense minister, and called the actions of the mercenary chief a “stab in the back” for the country’s soldiers and people.

Prigozhin, however, denied that treason had taken place, calling his fighters “patriots”.

The convoy had earlier moved quickly from southern Russia and was thought to have been around the Lipetsk area before the advance ended.

Russian media showed groups of police guarding machine-gun positions on Moscow’s southern border.

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Prigozhin claimed that he and his forces reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the Russian border from Ukraine and took control of key locations, including the airport.

The city is home to the headquarters of the Russian army which directs the invading forces in Ukraine.

The group of mercenaries was also said to have captured defensive installations in the city of Voronezh, about 310 miles south of Moscow.

The Russian army carried out “combat actions” in the Voronezh region “within the framework of the anti-terrorist operation,” according to its governor Alexander Gusev.

Wagner’s forces played a decisive role in the Russian war in Ukraine, and succeeded in controlling the city of Bakhmut, where the fiercest and longest bloody battles took place.

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