Russia and private militia Wagner agree to Belarus mediated deal to defuse rebellion tensions

The head of the private Russian military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his troops to move to neighbouring Belarus as part of a deal to defuse rebellion tensions.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that the charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin for mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped and the troops who joined him also will not be prosecuted if they divert the troops’ movement to Belarus.

Kremlin spokesman added that the fighters from his Wagner Group who did not take part in the uprising will be offered contracts by the Defence Ministry.

After the deal was reached, Prigozhin said he ordered his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops. The deal was mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally.

Prigozhin has demanded the ouster of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, for the withering criticism regarding his conduct of the war in Ukraine.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had vowed to punish those behind the armed uprising led by his onetime protege, whose forces seized a key military facility in southern Russia before advancing on the capital.

In a televised speech to the nation, Putin called the rebellion a “betrayal” and “treason.” The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its military operation against Ukraine.

Wagner troops have played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place.