By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin has left Moscow to Belarus on exile after a mutiny by the group on Saturday against the Russian military.
The Wagner boss agreed to leave Russia after a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that ended the armed insurrection, which marked the gravest threat to President Vladimir Putin’s authority in decades, CNN said.
Wagner troops have played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, but Prigozhin has increasingly criticised the military top brass, accusing it of incompetence and depriving his troops of ammunition.
The brief revolt ended after Prigozhin reached a deal with the Kremlin that will see him move to Belarus, which has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said an agreement was reached with Prigozhin.
Moscow also said it would not prosecute Wagner fighters who took part in the insurrection.
In allowing Prigozhin and his forces to go free, the Kremlin said Putin’s “highest goal” was “to avoid bloodshed”.
“You will ask me what will happen to Prigozhin personally?” Peskov said. “The criminal case will be dropped against him. He himself will go to Belarus.”
Peskov added that the Kremlin was unaware of the mercenary’s current whereabouts.
Wagner troops took control of a key military facility in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and some fighters advanced towards the capital.
Prigozhin has been publicly critical of Russia’s military leadership and their handling of the war in Ukraine without being punished.
An ally of the Russian leader, he crossed numerous red lines with Putin over the weekend with the insurrection.
