Russian government officials demanded Friday that the country’s mercenary Wagner Group stand down and return to their barracks having begun to march to Moscow at the behest of their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
By Saturday afternoon Eastern time, this order appears to have been fulfilled, with reports suggesting group leader Prigozhin had returned his Moscow-advancing convoys to their respective bases.
Prigozhin — who insisted Friday that his actions were a “March for justice” rather than a political coup — has been at loggerheads with Russia’s political and military leadership for months, criticizing not just the strategy in Ukraine, but also the enrichment of Russia’s elite at a cost of many lives on both sides.
On Friday evening, Russian Joint Forces Deputy Commander General Sergey Surovikin demanded Wagner Group stop their “rebellion” against Moscow, and detain their leader.
By Saturday morning, reports suggested that Wagner had occupied the Russian city of Rostov — a critical hub for Russian activity in Ukraine, and were progressing to Moscow.
By Saturday afternoon it appeared the “coup” had stalled, with Prigozhin ordering his Wagner forces to return to their bases.
This story is developing.
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