Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner’s mercenaries, in a photo released by Ukrainform on Saturday, June 24.
The head of the group of Russian mercenaries Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhinwhat leads an armed rebellion against the Russian military leadershipannounced today that its fighters will return to their bases after approaching 200 kilometers from Moscow, to avoid bloodshed.
“The time has come for blood to be shed. Therefore, realizing full responsibility for spilling Russian blood on one side, our columns turn around and return to our bases according to plan.”he stated in an audio message on his Telegram channel.
Prigozhin affirmed that the Russian military elites, against whom he rebelled, “wanted to disintegrate Wagner” and explained that for this reason he announced the “march for justice”, during which, in 24 hours, advanced until it reached 200 kilometers from Moscow after taking the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.
“During this time we did not shed a drop of blood from our combatants,” he said, acknowledging that this could have changed.
The head of the Wagner Group made this announcement after the press service of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenkoaffirmed that the president had mediated between Moscow and Prigozhin, with the consent of the Russian head of state, Vladimir Putin.
“Yevgueni Prigozhin accepted the proposal of the Belarusian president on the advance of Wagner’s troops on Russian territory and future steps to reduce tensions”, assured the Belarusian Presidency on Telegram and also collected the official agency, BELTA.
According to Minsk, Putin “in the morning informed his Belarusian counterpart of the situation in the south of Russia”, referring to the occupation by the Rostov mercenaries.
“The heads of states agreed on joint actions. Pursuant to the agreements, the President of Belarus, after verifying the situation through his own channels, entered into talks with the head of Wagner (…)».
The Belarusian Presidency indicated that “The talks went on all day”.
“In the end, an agreement was reached regarding the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloody massacre on Russian territory,” said the press service of Lukashenko, Putin’s main ally in his military campaign in Ukraine.
Minsk noted that an “absolutely beneficial and acceptable option to resolve the situation, with security guarantees for Wagner’s fighters” is currently on the table.
EFE
A serviceman from the private military company (PMC) Wagner Group in a tank blocks a street in Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, on June 24, 2023. Security and armored vehicles were deployed after the chief Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video that his troops had occupied the Southern Military District headquarters building, demanding a meeting with Russia’s defense chiefs. (Russia) EFE/EPA/STRINGER Soldiers from the private military company (PMC) Wagner Group block access to the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, on June 24, 2023. Armored and security vehicles were deployed after Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video that his troops had occupied the Southern Military District headquarters building, demanding a meeting with Russia’s defense chiefs. (Russia, Ukraine) EFE/EPA/ARKADY BUDNITSKY Moscow (Russian Federation), 06/23/2023.- Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a televised address to the nation in Moscow, Russia, 24 June 2023. Putin said counter-terrorism measures Were enforced in Moscow and other Russian regions. The speech came after private military company (PMC) Wagner Group’Äôs chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video on 24 June that his troops had occupied the building of the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, demanding a meeting with Russia’s defense chiefs. Despite not openly mentioning the Wagner Group nor its leader during the speech, Putin described the event as a ‘stab in the back’ of Russia and its people. (Terrorism, Open, Russia, Moscow) EFE/EPA/GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL Russian soldiers block a street in the center of Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, on June 24, 2023. They were deployed armored and security vehicles after the head of the private military company (PMC) Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said in a video that his troops had occupied the headquarters building of the Southern Military District, demanding a meeting with the heads of Russian defense. (Russia, Ukraine) EFE/EPA/ARKADY BUDNITSKY
⚡️Wagner in Rostov: «Boys, let’s load up, let’s go home!» pic.twitter.com/NqPB6kEPIu
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