Wagner Group militia members turn back, away from Moscow.De-escalation effort brokered by Belarus leader.Yevgeny Prigozhin to move to Belarus under terms of deal.
Heavily armed Russian mercenaries who advanced most of the way to Moscow began turning back on Saturday, de-escalating a major challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power, in a move their leader said would avoid bloodshed.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former Putin ally and founder of the Wagner army, said his men reached within 200 kilometres of the capital. Earlier, Moscow deployed soldiers in preparation for their arrival and told residents to avoid going out.
The Wagner fighters captured the
