Russian authorities announced on Sunday that Wagner Group forces have withdrawn from the provinces where they were deployed on Saturday. While several countries, including China, supported Moscow’s efforts to protect “national stability,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken considered the crisis a direct challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s authority.
Wagner forces halted their advance towards Moscow on Saturday under an agreement mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The agreement stipulated an end to the rebellion in exchange for security guarantees for Wagner’s commander and fighters, as well as allowing Wagner’s commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to seek refuge in Belarus.
The governors of the Voronezh and Lipetsk provinces announced that Wagner Group units have left the two regions, located approximately 450 kilometers away from Moscow, on Sunday. These units had been deployed in the provinces after coming from the Rostov region.
Earlier on Saturday evening, Wagner Group founder and commander Yevgeny Prigozhin and his forces left the city of Rostov (550 kilometers south of Moscow), less than 24 hours after the rebellion began.
The Moscow provincial authorities also announced the resumption of traffic on all bridges that were closed on Saturday in the capital’s suburbs. Simultaneously, local authorities maintained counter-terrorism measures in the city.
In a related context, the Belarusian news agency Belta reported that President Alexander Lukashenko spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, stated that he is not aware of any changes regarding President Vladimir Putin’s confidence in Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. He denied that the negotiations with Prigozhin included discussions about dismissing officials from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
