The leader of the Wagner Group mercenary organization, Yevyeni Prigozhin, announced the cessation of the advance of its military columns on Moscowin the so-called Justice March, after the mediation of the Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko.

“They were going to dismantle PMC Wagner. We left on June 23 in the Justice March. That day we advanced until we were nearly 125 miles from Moscow. In that time we have not shed a single drop of blood from our fightersPrigozhin said in an audio message broadcast on Telegram.

“Now the time has come for Russian blood to be shed. Therefore, on the one hand, we understand the responsibility for this Russian bloodshed and we are going to turn back our convoys and return to the camps as planned,” he added.

Europe Press details that Prigozhin accepted a proposal to halt his advance on Moscow from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who had previously received permission from Russian President Vladimir Putin, to carry out this mediation.

“Prigozhin has accepted the proposal of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, to stop the movement of armed personnel of the Wagner company in Russia and to take further steps to ease tensions,” the Belarus official reported. news agency. BelTA.

Lukashenko had held talks with Putin in the morning to “address the situation in the south of Russia” after Wagner’s raid on the city of Rostov-on-Don and “the two presidents agreed to take joint measures”.

Later, Lukashenko himself “conducted talks with Wagner’s leader Yevgeni Prigozhin, according to the Russian president” and during the day a series of contacts and negotiations took place.

“The result is that they agree that it is impermissible to unleash a bloody massacre on Russian territory” and therefore “Prigozhin has accepted Lukashenko’s proposal” with the ultimate goal of resolving the situation and with “security guarantees for Wagner’s warriors”.

After the action, Putin thanked Lukashenko for his “work”, the Belarusian presidency announced.

“The president of Belarus has informed the president of Russia in detail about the results of the negotiations with the leadership of the Wagner group,” Minsk said in a statement, adding that Putin had “thanked” his ally for the work done. work.

Russia is on alert following last night’s uprising led by the group of mercenaries that took over the country the Russian city of Rostov, headquarters of the Russian military command for the south.

The operation was ordered by Prigozhin after he denounced the deaths of many of his mercenaries in an attack by the Russian army itself., which the Ministry of Defense, which has been in confrontation with the leader of the mercenaries for months, has categorically denied.