Prigozhin stated that his fighters had advanced 200 km (124 mi) towards Moscow.
Rebel Russian mercenaries who headed towards Moscow have agreed to turn back to avoid bloodshed, their leader said on Saturday, posing a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power.
Fighters from Wagner’s private army, commanded by former Putin aide Yevgeny Prigozhin, were already on their way to most of the capital, having captured the city of Rostov and embarked on a 1,100 km (680 mi) run to Moscow.
In an audio message, Prigozhin said the fighters would return to base because of the threat of bleeding.
His office said an agreement was reached by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to prevent further movement of Wagner fighters across Russia in exchange for security guarantees for the insurgents.
⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️ President #Belarus#Lukashenko Interacted with the head of PMC Wagner #prigozhin, The conversation went on throughout the day.
‼️Y.Prigozhin accepted the proposal of the President of 🇧🇾 to stop the movement of armed men of the Wagner company in the territory. #Russiapic.twitter.com/Kpf2SW7RNu
– Belarus MFA 🇧🇾 (@BelarusMFA) 24 June 2023
Earlier, Prigozhin said his men were on a “march for justice” to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders whom he blames for wreaking war in Ukraine.
In a televised address from the Kremlin, Putin said Russia’s existence was in danger.
“We are fighting for the life and safety of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history,” he said.
“All those who deliberately set foot on the path of betrayal, who prepared armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terroristic methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, answer both to the law and to our people.”
Putin later signed a law tightening rules for breaking martial law in places where it has been imposed, the RIA news agency said.
Video obtained by Reuters showed troop carriers and two flatbed trucks, each carrying a tank, driving 30 miles (50 km) from Voronezh, more than halfway to Moscow, where a helicopter landed. fired at them.
Prigozhin, whose private army fought one of the bloodiest battles in Ukraine while feuding with top army officers for months, said he captured the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District in the city of Rostov without firing a shot. Had done
Rostov serves as the main rear logistics hub for Russia’s entire assault force in Ukraine.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV Staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)