Prigozhin to move to Belarus as part of deal to end Wagner uprising
Yevgeny Prigozhin has agreed to leave Russia for Belarus as part of a deal to end his armed uprising, while charges against him for organising it will be dropped, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
Dmitry Peskov, president Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, said Wagner’s fighters would not be charged “because of their deeds on the front.” He said some Wagner fighters who “came to their senses” and had not taken part in the uprising would sign contracts with the Russian defence ministry.
Despite declaring Prigozhin a “traitor” and vowing to “liquidate” Wagner on Saturday morning, Peskov said Putin had asked Alexander Lukashenko to mediate in the hope of avoiding any further bloodshed because the Belarusian leader has known Prigozhin for 20 years.