Wagner rebellion in Russia updates: Yevgeny Prigozhin to move to Belarus to avoid arrest and more; check top developments here

Rebellious Russian commander Yevgeny Prigozhin will leave for Belarus and a criminal case against him will be dropped, the Kremlin said on Saturday.  Prigozhin turned his Wagner force against the Russian military leadership. The Wagner group chief will relocate to Belarus under an agreement brokered by Belarusian president Aleksander Lukashenko.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by AFP: “Avoiding bloodshed, internal confrontation, and clashes with unpredictable results was the highest goal”. Peskov further said that charges against Prigozhin for mounting an armed rebellion would be dropped and troops who joined him will also not be prosecuted. He added fighters from the Wagner Group who did not participate in the uprising will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry.

The development comes almost 16 months after Russia launched full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and reduced cities to rubble.

Wagner revolt in Russia: Here’s what you need to know

1. Russian President Vladimir Putin had vowed to punish those behind the uprising led by Prigozhin. Putin called the rebellion a “betrayal” and “treason” in a televised address.

2. The feud between Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russia’s top military leadership hit a boiling point on Saturday when mercenaries captured a key army headquarters in southern Russia and headed northwards to threaten the capital.

3. Wagner troops and equipment were also in Lipetsk province, about 360 kms south of Moscow.

4. Prigozhin, once the protégé of President Putin, has sought the ouster of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. Shoigu has been widely criticised for his conduct during the war with Ukraine.

5. The Wagner group chief accused forces under Shoigu’s command of attacking Wagner camps and killing a “huge number of our comrades”.

6. Checkpoints with armoured vehicles were erected across Moscow and troops were also deployed on the city’s southern edge.

7. Red Square was also shut down and the mayor urged commuters to stay away from some routes.

8. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is likely “very scared” and hiding somewhere as rebel mercenaries advanced on Moscow.

9. The Wagner Group was responsible for many of Russia’s early successes in its ongoing war against Ukraine including the Battle of Sievierodonetsk. The Wagner Group suffered significant casualties in the war.

10. Russia also used the Wagner Group to assist in the annexation of Crimea in 2014. In the same year, the Russian Army also denied that its troops entered the Ukrainian territory due to the alleged involvement of the Wagner Group.

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