Wagner chief halts march on Moscow to avoid 'bloodshed'; listen to Yevgeny Prigozhin's message

In a de-escalation of what had grown into a significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin's hold on power, rebellious Russian mercenary warriors who advanced most of the way to Moscow have agreed to turn back to prevent bloodshed, their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin announced on Saturday.

The soldiers of the Wagner private army, led by former Putin supporter Yevgeny Prigozhin, had already taken Rostov and were on their way to Moscow 1,100 kilometres (680 miles) away.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held talks with Prigozhin during which the Wagner mercenary leader agreed to stop his troops and "de-escalate the situation".

Also read: Explained: Why Wagner mercenaries went rogue and 'invaded' Vladimir Putin's Russia

"Prigozhin accepted Lukashenko's proposal to stop the movement of Wagner in Russian territory and on further steps to de-escalate tension," Rossiya 24 said, quoting Lukashenko's press service. It also said it was proving "possible to find an acceptable variant of de-escalating [the situation] with security guarantees for Wagner PMC's fighters".

Later, In an audio message, Prigozhin said the fighters would return to base because of the risk of blood being spilled. According to reports, Prigozhin said, "Now the moment has come when blood can be shed, so, realizing all the responsibility, we turn our columns around and go in the opposite direction to the field camps according to the plan."

Rossiya 24 said the conversation had been agreed with Putin.

Prigozhin had claimed that his troops were on a "march for justice" to unseat corrupt and inept Russian commanders whom he holds accountable for the failure of the Ukrainian War. Putin claimed that Russia's very existence was at danger in a televised speech from the Kremlin.

"We are fighting for the lives and security 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 stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people."

Also read: Vladimir Putin ‘deeply mistaken’, we are 'patriots'; Russia to have new President soon: Wagner chief

Putin subsequently approved legislation that makes it more difficult to violate martial law in areas where it has been enacted, according to the RIA news agency.

Social media videos showed troop carriers and two flatbed trucks, each carrying a tank, travelling more than halfway to Moscow, 30 miles (50 km) past Voronezh, when a helicopter opened fire on them.

Prigozhin claimed that he had taken control of the Southern Military District of Russia's headquarters in the city of Rostov without firing a shot, despite the fact that his private army had participated in some of the bloodiest fights in Ukraine. Rostov serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia's entire invasion force in Ukraine.

• Wagner
• Russia
• Moscow
• Vladimir Putin
• Ukraine