Kremlin Drops Criminal Charges Against Wagner Coup Chief After Exile To Belarus

Phillip NietoJun 24th, 2023, 5:11 pm
 

The Kremlin announced on Saturday that criminal charges against the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will be dropped and he will move to Belarus after calling off his armed rebellion over the weekend.

Over the last 24 hours, Prigozhin marched his paramilitary group from Ukraine into Russia, taking over two major cities and marching thousands of Wagner troops toward Moscow to overthrow the political and military establishment. However, Prigozhin called off the march after negotating peace with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.

President Vladimir Putin had denounced the rebellion and vowed to punish Prigozhin in an address to the nation on Saturday morning. The event represented the largest existential threat to Putin’s regime since he took control of Russia in 2000.

Moreover, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Wagner members who assisted Prigozhin in the uprising will not face prosecutions, while mercenaries who did not participate will be offered contracts by the Russian military, according to the Associated Press.

Moscow prepared for the arrival of the Wagner forces by blocking off roads with armored vehicles, shutting down key government areas, and deploying troops around the outskirts of the city.

It is not certain if Prigozhin’s exile to Belarus will remain permanent or if he will remain in control of the mercenary group.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who Prigozhin vowed to remove from power for failing to the lead the invasion of Ukraine, still remains in his role.

Watch above via CNN.

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