In a dramatic turn of events, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the rebellious leader of the Wagner mercenary, commanded his fighters to retreat from their advance toward Moscow to prevent any violent confrontation or avert the potential bloodshed. Prigozhin revealed on Saturday that his forces had made significant progress, covering a distance of 200 km (124 miles) within the past 24 hours, but he has now issued orders for them to promptly return to their respective bases.
This comes as Belarus claimed that President Alexander Lukashenko was able to persuade the Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin to cease his march toward Moscow. If the claims are to be believed, it can lead to a potential end to the coup attempt in Russia, the first in last thirty years.
Media reports citing Lukashenko’s press service said the president engaged in extensive negotiations with Prigozhin throughout the “entire day” after establishing a mutual understanding with Putin.
Before his negotiations with Wagner’s chief, he held talks with Putin and they agreed on joint actions and “additionally clarifying the situation through his own channels.”
The press service stated that Prigozhin has accepted Lukashenko’s appeal to halt the movement. It said Prigozhin had “accepted [Lukashenko’s] request to “stop the movement of armed men from the Wagner company on Russian territory and [take] further steps to de-esclatae the situation.”
“At the moment, there is an absolutely advantageous and acceptable way to defuse the situation on the table, with security guarantees for Wagner’s fighters,” Lukashenko’s press service said, as per media reports.
Before Wagner chief’s decision to turn back his forces, Ukraine’s defense ministry mocked the presence of Russian troops within the country on Saturday, urging them to return home and participate in the ongoing clashes between rebel mercenaries and Russia’s military. The ministry’s statement questioned the reason behind Russian soldiers still being stationed in challenging conditions instead of supporting their comrades involved in the conflict.
In a statement, the Ukrainian ministry asked, “why Russian soldiers are still sitting in muddy trenches rather than running to the aid of their comrades on both sides of the conflict. That would be far safer than confronting the Ukrainian army.”
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Many world leaders were also keeping a close eye on the events in Russia as Putin faced a tough battle to push back Wagner chief from making gains on several of its regions.
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