Russia drops mutiny case against Prigozhin as Putin honours troops for 'preventing civil war' (WATCH)

Russian authorities said they have closed a criminal investigation into the armed rebellion led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, with no charges against him or any of the other participants. The announcement was the latest twist in series of stunning events in recent days that have brought the gravest threat so far to President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power.

Russian authorities announced on Tuesday that they had dropped all charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin or any of the other participants in the armed uprising they had been investigating. The mutiny's perpetrators "ceased activities directed at committing the crime," according to the Federal Security Service, or FSB, which is why the case will not be prosecuted. 

The announcement was the most recent twist in a string of astounding incidents that have occurred recently and pose the greatest danger to President Vladimir Putin's hold on power in the midst of the 16-month-old conflict in Ukraine.

Addressing the media, Putin said, "Wagner was entirely supported by the state.bRussia's enemies would have taken advantage of situation if mutiny had succeeded. Many of achievements of recent years would have been lost."

Even though Prigozhin put an end to the uprising on Saturday and Putin called them traitors, the Kremlin promised not to bring legal action against them over the weekend. The penalty for organising an armed revolt is up to 20 years in jail. The fact that Prigozhin avoided punishment stands in sharp contrast to how the Kremlin has handled individuals organising rallies against the Russian government.

Numerous opposition members in Russia have been given lengthy jail sentences and are currently incarcerated in colonies known for their brutal living conditions. The Kremlin has said he would be exiled to neighboring Belarus, but neither he nor the Belarusian authorities have confirmed that.