Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the private military company Wagner PMC, has agreed to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s proposal to halt the group’s advance into Russian territory.
Lukashenko initially made this statement, which was later confirmed by Prigozhin himself, as reported by RIA Novosti.
According to the Telegram account, citing the press service of the Belarusian president, Lukashenko said, “This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed his Belarusian counterpart about the situation in southern Russia concerning the Wagner private military company. The heads of state reached an agreement on joint actions. Following this agreement, the President of Belarus, after obtaining further information through his own channels, conducted talks with the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in agreement with the Russian president.”
Lukashenko stated, “Both parties agreed that it would be unacceptable to incite a bloody conflict on Russian territory, and Prigozhin accepted my proposal to cease the movement of armed groups.”
In an audio message on Telegram, Prigozhin remarked, “Within 24 hours, we have covered nearly 200 kilometers on our way to Moscow. During this time, not a single drop of our fighters’ blood has been shed. However, we have reached a critical point where bloodshed may occur. Therefore, recognizing our responsibility and the potential loss of Russian lives, we have decided to redirect our columns back towards the planned field camps.”
The safety of the Wagner group’s fighters is said to be guaranteed.
Prigozhin and his mercenaries reportedly mutinied on Friday night, marching from Rostov-on-Don, which they had occupied, towards Moscow. Allegedly, the reason behind their actions was an alleged rocket attack on their camp by the Russian army, resulting in the death of numerous fighters.
However, the Interior Ministry denies these claims. Prigozhin has long been at odds with his superior, Sergei Shoigu.
