After getting its troop columns within 125 miles of Moscow, rogue CEO of PMC Wagner, Evgene Prigozhin, announces that he turned his troops around and is going back to bases, and taking other steps to de-escalate tensions with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
This comes as the attention of the world focused on the rebellion by Wagner mercenaries, probably caused by the attempt by the Russian military to put all PMC troops under contract with the Ministry of Defense, effectively ending Wagner’s total independence as it stands now.
Associated Press reported:
“The head of the private Russian military force Wagner said Saturday he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood.
The announcement from Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s leadership in his more than two decades in power.
Moscow had braced for the arrival of a private army led by the rebellious mercenary commander by erecting checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on its southern edge. Red Square was shut down, and the mayor urged motorists to stay off some roads.
Prigozhin said that while his men were just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid ‘shedding Russian blood’.”
This de-escalation was negotiated by Belarusian President Lukashenko, one of Moscow’s closest allies. Full statement from Lukashenko’s press service on the PMC Wagner situation:
“This morning Russian President Vladimir Putin briefed his Belarusian counterpart on the situation in southern Russia with the Wagner private military company. The leaders agreed on joint actions.
Following the agreements, the President of Belarus, having further clarified the situation through his own channels, held talks with the head of the PMC Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in coordination with the Russian President.
The talks lasted a whole day. As a result, they agreed on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloodbath on the territory of Russia. Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted President Alexander Lukashenko’s proposal to stop the movement of Wagner fighters in Russia and to take other steps to de-escalate tensions.
At the moment, an absolutely advantageous and acceptable option for resolving the situation is on the table, with security guarantees for the PMC Wagner fighters.
As previously reported, during today’s meeting the Belarusian President held two meetings with the country’s security bloc on this situation.”
The situation in the front remains largely unchanged, and in the end, Kiev did not ‘jump’ at the opportunity during the unrest in Russia, but Russian channels in Telegram cite sources that expect renewed Ukrainian attacks in all the extension of the frontline in the next 24 hours.
The post BREAKING: Rebelling Wagner Troops Stand Down After Reaching 125 Miles of Moscow, Will Return to Bases in Ukraine – Belarusian Lukashenko Brokered the Negotiations Between Prigozhin and Russian MOD appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.