Wagner Group mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin halted his dramatic advance toward Moscow and pulled his fighters back, defusing what had become the biggest threat to President Vladimir Putin’s grip on Russia in his almost quarter-century rule.
As part of a deal to end the uprising Putin had personally guaranteed that Prigozhin would be allowed to leave for neighboring Belarus and authorities would drop criminal mutiny charges against him and his fighters. There was no immediate confirmation from Prigozhin of the pact.
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All times are CET
Italy Says Peace in Ukraine Now More Likely (8:03 a.m.)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said events in Russia showed that its front in Ukraine is weaker, telling Messaggero in an interview that he hopes a peace deal in Ukraine is now closer.
“Putin is not a myth anymore,” he said.
US Suspected Prigozhin Was Ready to Act, NYT Reports (8 a.m.)
US intelligence agencies briefed senior military and administration officials on Wednesday that Wagner Group leader Prigozhin was preparing to take action against senior Russian defense officials, the New York Times reported, citing officials it didn’t identify.
The agencies kept silent about Prigozhin’s plans, the information about which was considered “both solid and alarming,” because they felt that if they said anything, Putin could accuse them of orchestrating a coup, the NYT said.
A narrow group of Congressional leaders was briefed on Thursday as additional confirmation of the plot became known, the newspaper reported.
Kazakh Leader Welcomes Resolution of Events (8 a.m.)
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed the measures taken by the Russian authorities to restore constitutional order and ensure the safety of their citizens.
Polish Leader Sees De-Escalation in Russia (10:12 p.m.)
“Everything indicates there’s de-escalation in Russia,” Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters after a meeting of the country’s National Security Bureau on Saturday, adding that “there is no increased risk to Poland” from the weekend’s events.
Prigozhin Will Go to Belarus, Kremlin Says (10 p.m.)
Mercenary leader Prigozhin will go to neighboring Belarus and Russia will drop the criminal case against him, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said late Saturday, according to Interfax.
The group’s fighters who took part in what Russia called a mutiny won’t be prosecuted and the events won’t affect the Russian operation in Ukraine, he said.