On Friday, June 23 2023, the leader of Russia’s paramilitary organisation Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin and close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Russia’s defence ministry of deliberately bombing Wagner fighters and claimed that Moscow’s justification for invading Ukraine was based on lies.
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On Saturday, June 24, his forces reportedly took control of the strategic Russian city of Rostov-on-Don before advancing to within 200 kilometres of Moscow. However, less than 24 hours later, Prigozhin abruptly announced that his fighters would retreat and halt their advance towards the capital.
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Shortly after, Belarus issued a statement saying that Prigozhin had accepted Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s suggestion that the Wagner group halt operations in Russia and take additional steps to reduce tensions.
According to Russian state media, the Wagner leader will now relocate to neighbouring Belarus, and all criminal charges against him will be dropped. It is unclear what would happen to him and his forces in the end.
The Kremlin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who brokered the deal, released few details. Neither Prigozhin nor Putin have been heard from, nor have top Russian military leaders.
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