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Russia says Wagner chief will move to Belarus under peace deal

Prigozhin and his fighters vacate Russia's military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don

Published: Sun 25 Jun 2023, 12:22 AM

Updated: Sun 25 Jun 2023, 12:32 AM

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Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group pull out of the headquarters of the Southern Military District to return to base, in the city of Rostov-on-Don. — Reuters

Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group pull out of the headquarters of the Southern Military District to return to base, in the city of Rostov-on-Don. — Reuters

Wagner mercenary force chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus under a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to end an armed mutiny that Prigozhin had led against Russia's military leadership, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

Prigozhin and all of his fighters vacated Russia's military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the RIA news agency reported. Wagner fighters loaded tanks on trailers and began withdrawing from the Rostov military headquarters they had seized, a Reuters witness said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's agreement, because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years.

Peskov said Wagner troops won't face punishment for rebellion as criminal case against their chief is closed. The fighters who didn't take part in the march will sign contracts with the defence ministry while others won't be prosecuted in consideration of their service, he said, adding that avoiding bloodshed was more important than punishing people.

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The spokesman said Russia highly appreciated the efforts by Belarusian president to mediate with the leader of the mercenary force. The office of Lukashenko said that he had brokered a deal with Prigozhin who had agreed to de-escalate the situation.

The announcement, carried on the official Telegram channel of the Belarusian presidency, said Prigozhin had agreed to halt the further movement of Wagner fighters across Russia. "The president of Belarus, having further clarified the situation through his own available channels, held talks with the head of the Wagner PMC (private military company), Yevgeny Prigozhin, in coordination with the President of Russia," the Belarusian statement said.

"The talks lasted for an entire day. As a result, they came to an agreement on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloodbath on the territory of Russia.

Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the offer of President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of Wagner's armed men on Russian territory and to take further steps to de-escalate tensions."



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