Wagner chief orders troops to turn around from Moscow 'to avoid bloodshed'

Russian state media reported on Saturday that a military communications plane and several helicopters were taken down by Wagner mercenary fighters during their march to Moscow.

The Kremlin didn't state if anyone was killed, and pointed reporters to the Defense Ministry.

Previously, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said that his forces took over the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don without "a single gunshot" or deaths.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Wagner Group mercenary fighters were seen on Saturday leaving the Russian military headquarters in the southern district in Rostov-On-Don.

According to the regional governor, Wagner Group troops left Rostov-On-Don and are headed back to their field camps.

The mercenary fighters left after a deal was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Wagner chief Veygeny Prigozhin to halt the group's march towards Moscow, an announcement from the Kremlin states.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Lukashenko offered to mediate with the approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the Belarusian president has known Prigozhin personally for nearly 20 years.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Restrictions on several highways in Russia have been lifted after Wagner Group troops turned around, according to Russian state media.

Wagner chief Veygeny Prigozhin gave orders to his troops to turn around just 120 miles way from Moscow.

It was later reported that Wagner chief Veygeny Prigozhin is moving to Belarus under a deal brokered by President Alexander Lukashenko, which stopped the group's advancement closer to Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Lukashenko offered to mediate with the approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the Belarusian president has known Prigozhin personally for nearly 20 years.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District amid the group's pullout from the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was seen leaving the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don on Saturday.

A video of Prigozhin leaving Rostov-on-Don was posted to Telegram by Russian state news agency RIA.

The development comes after it was announced Wagner Group Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus in a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Kremlin confirmed the deal, according to the report, ending Wagner Group's "march for justice" towards Moscow.

Reuters contributed to this report

Wagner chief Veygeny Prigozhin is moving to Belarus under a deal brokered by President Alexander Lukashenko to halt the mercenary group’s march on Moscow, according to an announcement from the Kremlin. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with an agreement from Russian President Vladimir Putin, because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years. 

The announcement came after Prigozhin said he had ordered Wagner troops to turn around, defusing a dramatically escalating crisis.  

Early Saturday, Wagner troops appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine. Wagner troops and equipment also were in Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers south of Moscow, where authorities were "taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population," said regional Gov. Igor Artamonov, via Telegram.

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Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

In this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Credit: Prigozhin Press Service via AP

Wagner Group Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus in a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Kremlin confirmed the deal, according to the report, which ends the Wagner Group's "march for justice" towards Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Lukashenko offered to mediate with the approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the Belarusian president has known Prigozhin personally for nearly 20 years.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III this afternoon spoke with counterparts in Canada, France, Germany, Poland the United Kingdom. Despite Yevgeny Prigozhin's announcement that he has ordered his Wagner troops to return to base, Austin said that he would continue to stay in close coordination with allies.

The situation is still developing, and Austin reiterated that U.S. support for Ukraine will not change.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley also canceled a trip to Israel and Jordan in order to monitor the situation in Russia, according to Joint Staff Spokesperson Col. Dave Butler.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

In a brief video posted to Twitter, Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov urged Russian soldiers to return home and "give hugs to your loved ones."

He claimed that the troops "have been lied to and betrayed" and their war "is not here in Ukraine" but "at your home."

"Go home, protect your place, give his to your loved ones," Reznikov said. "We won't shoot in your back."

"We don't need Russian land," he stressed. "Take care of your country. Take care of your fate."

Yevgeny Prigozhin, self-proclaimed founder and leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, has marched his troops towards Moscow after claiming the Kremlin authorized an attack on his forces – an historic decision for a man who came from such humble beginnings. 

Wagner Group’s origins remained obscured for some time after its founding in 2014 to assist in Crimea, with many believing that Prigozhin at least funded the group if not outright founded it. The group’s leader at the time, Dmitry Utkin, had previously worked as Prigozhin’s head of security. 

But Prigozhin eventually revealed – or at least claimed – that he had indeed created the group, which has continued to serve Russian interests across the globe, operating in Africa, Syria and other areas to help push Russian President Vladimir Putin’s international goals. 

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Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, is pictured in this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service on Friday, March 3, 2023. Prigozhin on Saturday called off an armed rebellion that purported to seek the ouster of Russia's top military brass in order to avoid bloodshed. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP, File)

Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said Saturday he has ordered his fighters to halt their march on Moscow and return to their bases in Ukraine to avoid bloodshed.

Prigozhin's announcement seemingly puts an end to what observers called the most significant challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime in his 23 years in power.

In audio posted to social media, Prigozhin said that while his troops were just 120 miles from Moscow, he chose to turn back to avoid "shedding Russian blood."

The Associated Press reports he didn’t say whether Moscow has responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.

The announcement followed a statement from the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko saying that he had negotiated a deal with Prigozhin after discussing the issue with Putin. Prigozhin agreed to halt the advance in a proposed settlement that contains security guarantees for Wagner troops, Lukashenko's office said. It didn’t elaborate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman and former President Dmitry Medvedev grimases during a meeting on the military-industrial complex at the Kremlin, September 20, 2022, in Moscow, Russia. Medvedev has warned that the Wagner Group rebellion could threaten global security if the mercenaries gain access to nuclear weapons.

A senior Russian official has warned that if Prigozhin's rebellion is successful, Russia's vast nuclear arsenal could fall into the hands of Wagner Group mercenaries and pose an existential threat to the world.

“The history of mankind hasn’t yet seen the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons under control by bandits,” Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. “Such a crisis will not be limited by just one country’s borders, the world will be put on the brink of destruction.”

He added that "we won't allow such a turn of events."

Medvedev, a former Russian president, has become notorious for his outlandish comments relating to the war in Ukraine, the threat of nuclear escalation, and Russia’s ever-deteriorating relations with Western nations. 

Fox News' Caitlin McFall and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Armored vehicles and fighters of Wagner on streets after the Wagner paramilitary group has taken control of the headquarters of Russia's southern military district in Rostov-on-Don, Russia on June 24, 2023. (Photo by Arkady Budnitsky/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

State officials and foreign ministers weighed in on the news that the mercenary Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, have started a march towards Moscow and that Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to crush any rebellion.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted on Saturday, "Spoke today with G7 Foreign Ministers and the E.U. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia. The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop."

The Russian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement Saturday warning all Western countries "against any hint of possible use of the domestic situation to achieve their Russophobic goals." 

"Such attempts are futile and will not find a response either in Russia or among sane political forces abroad," the statement read. "We are convinced that in the near future the situation will find its solution, worthy of the age-old wisdom of the Russian people and the Russian State."

The Wagner Group has made its way 60 miles into Russia, claiming to have taken control of the city Rostov-on-Don, from which Russian military command has coordinated its attack on Ukraine. Prigozhin initiated the march after claiming on Friday that the Kremlin had authorized an attack on his forces, which had killed a "huge amount" of his troops. 

The world continues to watch as the situation develops, with many foreign officials sharing their thoughts on social media. 

National Security Council Spokesperson Adam Hodge on Friday night said, "We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy  said, "Anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys themselves."

"For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it," Zelenskyy added. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later."

Armored vehicles are seen as the traffic density occurred where security measures taken along the M4 highway to Moscow amid escalating tensions between the Kremlin and the head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, in Moscow, Russia on June 24, 2023. (Photo by Boris Alekseev/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Armed rebels with the Wagner Group are moving north through Russian territory and appear to be heading for Moscow, according to multiple reports.

Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is leading what he calls a "march for justice" to oust Russia's military leadership. Overnight, the mercenary group's forces seized control of Russian military facilities in Rostov-on-Don, a city of more than a million people near the border with Ukraine. The seizure is significant — Rostov is home to the Russian military headquarters overseeing the military supply line fueling Putin's invasion of Ukraine. 

Further Wagner troops are reported to be moving through Vorenezh Oblast, a city about 300 miles north of Rostov-on-Don. An intelligence update from the U.K. Ministry of Defense indicated Wagner units are "almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow." 

"With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner," the Ministry of Defense said. 

Reuters separately reported — citing a Russian security source — that Wagner fighters have seized military facilities in the city of Voronezh, and the governor there has said operations are underway to put down the mutiny. Reuters could not independently confirm the situation there. 

A Wagner convoy with armed vehicles was also seen traveling north on the M4 motorway, which links Voronezh and Moscow in the Lipetsk region, the BBC reported. The regional governor, Igor Artamonov, said Wagner is moving "equipment" in the region and has asked residents to stay home and avoid traveling. 

In this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor who called for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister has confirmed in a video that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP)

After a report indicated the Russian-backed Wagner Group deployed more than 400 mercenaries to Kyiv with the mission of assassinating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the private military company is receiving renewed attention from its past atrocities carried out at the behest of the Kremlin. 

Russian businessman and Putin’s close ally, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, has claimed credit for founding and running the Wagner group since its inception in 2014. The Wagner Group participated in the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has been considered a proxy group of the Russian state abroad, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The group rose to prominence during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, deploying around 50,000 personnel to the front over the fifteen months of conflict, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts. Russian President Vladimir Putin increasingly relied on Wagner for results in Ukraine as the Russian military's own efforts produced minimal results and the conflict dragged on far beyond the initial projected timeline. 

The U.S. in January 2023 then designated the Wagner Group as "a significant transnational criminal organization" as it announced additional sanctions against the group and its support network across multiple continents.