The leader of the Wagner paramilitary group has instructed his forces to halt their march on Moscow.
In a new audio recording, Yevgeny Prigozhin announced, “We are turning our columns around and going back in the other direction toward our field camps.” According to Prigozhin, his troops were 120 miles from Moscow, but to avoid shedding more Russian blood, they will return to their bases in Ukraine. (RELATED: Civil War? Putin's Private Army Moves On Moscow)
Prigozhin's message follows the occupation of Rostov-on-Don and several military facilities by Wagner mercenaries. It comes after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed to have reached a truce with Prigozhin.
Although the immediate threat to Putin's rule has diminished, there remains intense speculation about what will happen in the future.
Semafor has more on Prigozhin's latest comments and the fallout from the apparent coup attempt:
The announcement came hours after soldiers from the Russian private mercenary group Wagner clashed with Russian troops even after Russian president Vladimir Putin vowed to punish those on a “path of treason” in his first televised address to the nation following the uprising.
“Those who carry deliberately on a path of treason, preparing an armed rebellion when you were preparing terrorist attacks, will be punished,” Putin said.
The president also said there would be “decisive actions” for those inciting what the Kremlin is calling an armed rebellion.
Prigozhin claimed control of the southern city Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh, which is halfway between the southern city and Moscow. The New York Times reported Saturday that it had verified videos of fighting near Voronezh.
In his speech to the nation, Putin said the rebels would face “unavoidable punishment.”
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