According to reports, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner Group, has apparently reached an agreement with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to cease the progression of Wagner forces towards Moscow.
In a press release, the Belarusian leader’s office wrote, “This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin briefed his Belarusian counterpart on the situation in southern Russia with the private military company Wagner. The heads of state agreed on joint actions,”
The press release further stated that Lukashenko had discussions with Prigozhin and his forces in coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Negotiations continued throughout the day. As a result, they came to agreements on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloody massacre on the territory of Russia. Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the proposal of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of armed persons of the Wagner company in Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tensions,” the statement continued.
“At the moment, on the table is an absolutely profitable and acceptable option for solving the situation, with security guarantees for the Wagner PMC fighters.”
Prigozhin later confirmed that Wagner forces would be returning to their bases in order to “avoid bloodshed.”
“The moment has come when blood can be shed. Understanding all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood can be shed on one of the sides, we turn our columns around and leave in the opposite direction to the field camps according to the plan,” the paramilitary leader said in an audio statement.
As approximately 20,000 Wagner contractors were en route to Moscow, engaging in clashes with Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) forces along the way, a ceasefire agreement has now been reached. Wagner troops had taken control of the strategically significant logistical hub of Rostov and besieged a critical military headquarters located in the city.
Subsequently, swiftly advancing Wagner columns moved closer to Moscow, successfully neutralizing multiple Russian aircraft. In response, the Russian armed forces initiated several strikes against Wagner forces on the M4 highway, a route leading to Moscow, while troops loyal to President Putin fortified the capital.
The reported ceasefire comes at a time when the Wagner columns were nearing Moscow, while Chechen forces aligned with the Russian government were closing in on Rostov.
