Why Wagner chief Prigozhin stopped Russia coup: Everything to know
The military coup in Russia, headed by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been halted suddenly after a deal was reportedly struck between the powerful mercenary group and the Kremlin. As part of the agreement to defuse the crisis that represented the biggest challenge for Russian President Vladimir Putin, all charges against Prigozhin will be dropped, and his troops will also not be prosecuted.
Why does this story matter?
A high alert was issued in Russia on Saturday after the mercenary group Wagner launched a rebellion claiming to capture some military bases, as Prigozhin accused the Kremlin of launching missiles against his forces. It is worth noting that Wagner is a private mercenary army and is said to have played a vital role in Russia's seizure of Bakhmut in Ukraine as well.
Kremlin spokesperson provides update on situation
As per the news agency Associated Press (AP), Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that the Defence Ministry would be offering contracts to fighters from the Wagner Group who did not take part in the coup. It is also learned that this deal was mediated by the Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, who is a staunch ally of Putin.
Visuals of Prigozhin leaving Rostov
Not all details of deal between Prigozhin, Kremlin revealed
Meanwhile, media reports also suggested that these were not the only conditions of the deal. However, Moscow hasn't yet responded to Prigozhin's demands to remove Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. While speculating, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel tweeted, "Maybe he (Progozhin) gets to keep his African empire and operate his pirate state from abroad?"
Twitter post by Engel
Why Prigozhin halted his troops from reaching Moscow
It is worth remembering that Prigozhin's troops invaded Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, and his armed troops would have reached Moscow approximately 24 hours later. Amid this, Red Square in the Russian capital was shut down, and the mayor instructed motorists to stay away from certain roads. However, the Wagner chief later announced he was withdrawing his troops as this would have resulted in massive bloodshed.
Did Putin flee Moscow? Here's what Kremlin said
While Prigozhin's Wagner troops continued marching toward Moscow on Saturday before the truce announcement, one of the numerous aircraft that Putin uses reportedly took off from the capital at 2:15pm (local time). Several sources claimed it went off the radar around 150 kilometers from the Russian president's official residence less than 30 minutes later. However, Kremlin played down the claims of Putin feeling Moscow.
