Wagner Chief Prigozhin Agrees To End Mutiny In Exchange Of Security To Fighters And To Avoid Bloodbath

Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has said that rebel mercenary troops are 'turning back' to avoid spilling blood.

After an eventful day that erupted the talks of 'civil war' in Russia after mercenary group Wagner vowed to topple the Moscow's military leadership, the chief of the rebel group has said that troops are now ‘turning back’ to avoid spilling blood, reported AFP. According to a report from RT Russia, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that he had arranged a deal whereby Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin will abandon his mutiny in exchange for “security guarantees” for his fighters.  

"Evgeny Prigozhin accepted the proposal of President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of armed men of Wagner in Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tension," read a statement from Lukashenko's office, as reported by RT Russia. 

The statement further read that Lukashenko and Prigozhin held talks for the “whole day,” and “came to an agreement on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloodbath on the territory of Russia.” 

Lukashenko’s office reportedly said that the talks were held in coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The statement added that Prigozhin was offered “an advantageous and acceptable option of resolving the situation, with security guarantees for the Wagner PMC fighters.” 

The development comes as a Wagner convoy moved closer to Moscow, hours after members of the private military outfit passed through the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. In a series of video statements released since Friday, Prigozhin declared that he was advancing on Moscow to confront Russian military officials he deemed corrupt. 

Following his announcement, Russian President Putin termed the action a ‘stab in the back’ and vowed to punish the ‘traitors’. Meanwhile, several videos on Twitter showed roads leading up to Moscow being dug up to halt Wagner convoy marching towards the capital. 

RT Russia mentioned that shortly after Lukashenko's announcement, Prigozhin confirmed that his troops were abandoning their push to Moscow and returning to their field camps.