Wagner Fighters Withdraw From Southern Russia

Russian authorities have confirmed that the chief of the rebel Wagner mercenary force will leave Russia and won’t face charges after calling off his troops’ advance on Saturday.

The feud between Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russia’s military brass came to a violent head in the past day, with his forces capturing a key army headquarters in southern Russia and then heading north to threaten the capital.

Within hours of Prigozhin’s about-face, the Kremlin announced he would leave for Belarus and Russia would not prosecute either him or the group’s members.

Reacting to the incident, President Vladimir Putin warned against civil war, telling locals to stay off the streets.