Kremlin announces Wagner boss will leave Russia

The Kremlin said Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, would leave Russia for Belarus and not face prosecution, after the two sides reached a deal to avoid bloodshed.

"The criminal case against the head of the Wagner private military corporation Yevgeny Prigozhin will be dropped. He will go to Belarus," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference in the early morning of June 25.

He stressed that President Vladimir Putin had assured Prigozhin that he could leave Russia for Belarus, but it was unclear what the Wagner boss would do in the country. Wagner's current location is also unknown.

Mr Peskov said Wagner members involved in the “armed uprising” on June 24 would not be prosecuted. “Avoiding bloodshed, internal conflicts that could lead to unpredictable consequences is the highest goal,” he said.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner, at an event in Moscow on July 4, 2017. Photo: AFP — Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner, at an event in Moscow on July 4, 2017. Photo: *AFP*

According to Peskov, some Wagner members "changed their minds at the beginning" and did not participate in the rebellion. "They even asked the traffic police and other forces for help to return to base," he said. "These people can later sign a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry if they want."

The office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said in a statement that Lukashenko had discussed with Putin the details of the negotiations on a deal to de-escalate tensions with Prigozhin. "President Putin thanked his Belarusian counterpart," the statement said.

On the ground, the Governor of Rostov-on-Don said Wagner had withdrawn fighter jets and military equipment from the city and returned to barracks after Prigozhin and the Kremlin reached an agreement to avoid bloodshed under the mediation of the President of Belarus.

All security restrictions on Russian highways have been lifted, the Federal Road Administration announced. Authorities in Lipetsk, 400 km south of Moscow, also lifted the restrictions.

Russia's TASS news agency said traffic on Budennovsky Avenue near the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District had returned to normal after Wagner withdrew its troops from the city of Rostov-on-Don.

Wagner forces prepare to withdraw from the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, June 24. Photo: AFP — Wagner forces prepare to withdraw from the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, June 24. Photo: *AFP*

On June 24, Prigozhin sent thousands of Wagner fighters from the Ukrainian battlefield across the Russian border into Rostov province after accusing the Defense Minister of ordering a missile attack on a Wagner training camp that caused heavy casualties. The Russian military denied this.

Wagner forces entered the city of Rostov-on-Don, the capital of Rostov Oblast, on the morning of June 24, taking control of the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District. Prigozhin affirmed that this was "a march for justice, not a coup".

Wagner then entered the cities of Voronezh and Lipetsk south of Moscow, prompting Russia to launch an anti-terrorist operation there to deal with it. Prigozhin said Wagner forces were at one point about 200 kilometers from the Russian capital.

In a speech at noon on June 24, Russian President Putin called the Wagner rebellion an act of treason. The Russian Defense Ministry called on the group's gunmen to abandon Prigozhin, promising to ensure their safety. However, Prigozhin then declared that he and his gunmen would not surrender.

On the evening of June 24 (early morning of June 25, Hanoi time), Prigozhin suddenly ordered Wagner members who were approaching Moscow to turn back and return to barracks to "avoid bloodshed".

Minutes before Prigozhin made his statement, the Belarusian presidential office said that with Putin's consent, Lukashenko had used a private communication channel to talk to Prigozhin throughout June 24.

The Belarusian statement said Prigozhin had been offered "a favorable and acceptable option to resolve the situation, with security guarantees for Wagner members" but did not elaborate.