Moscow, Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Saturday, thanked Belarus leader, Alexander Lukashenko, after the chief of mercenary group, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin announced he was turning around his forces. 

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"The President of Belarus informed the President of Russia in detail about the results of negotiations with the leadership of PMC Wagner," Lukashenko's press service released a statement saying as quoted by news agency AFP, adding Putin "thanked his Belarusian colleague."

Wagner chief commands fighters to retreat

In a dramatic turn of events, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary, commanded his fighters to retreat from their advance toward Moscow to prevent any violent confrontation or avert the potential bloodshed.

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His move came after Belarus asserted that President Alexander Lukashenko was able to persuade the Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin to cease his march toward Moscow. If the claims are to be believed, it can lead to a potential end to the coup attempt in Russia, the first in the last 30 years. 

Media reports citing Lukashenko's press service said the president engaged in extensive negotiations with Prigozhin throughout the "entire day" after establishing a mutual understanding with Putin. 

Before his negotiations with Wagner's chief, he held talks with Putin and they agreed on joint actions and “additionally clarifying the situation through his own channels.”

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The press service stated that Prigozhin has accepted Lukashenko's appeal to halt the movement. 

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had made an emergency television broadcast railing against the “deadly threat to our state”.

Progozhin said that he wanted to avoid shedding Russian blood and would order his troops back to their bases instead.

“Now the moment has come when blood can be shed,” he said. “Therefore, realising all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood will be shed from one side, we will turn our convoys around and go in the opposite direction to our field camps.”

The Kremlin announced later on Saturday night that Prigozhin would move to Belarus under a deal to end what was in effect the country’s first armed coup in decades.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the criminal case that had been opened against Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped, and the Wagner fighters who had taken part in his “march for justice” would not face any action in recognition of their previous service to Russia.

The Kremlin had earlier been forced to mobilise its forces and prepare defences as Prigozhin sent a convoy of armed troops towards Moscow.

Before Wagner chief's decision to turn back his forces, Ukraine's defence ministry mocked the presence of Russian troops within the country on Saturday, urging them to return home and participate in the ongoing clashes between rebel mercenaries and Russia's military. The ministry's statement questioned the reason behind Russian soldiers still being stationed in challenging conditions instead of supporting their comrades involved in the conflict. 

In a statement, the Ukrainian ministry asked, "why Russian soldiers are still sitting in muddy trenches rather than running to the aid of their comrades on both sides of the conflict. That would be far safer than confronting the Ukrainian army."

(With inputs from agencies)

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