Russia-Ukraine war live: ‘Scared’ Putin exiles Prigozhin as Wagner soldiers face no action

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will be exiled from Russia to Belarus as part of a truce agreed with Vladimir Putin after an explosive armed rebellion raced to Moscow on Saturday. The mutiny was called off at the 11th hour as Prigozhin said he wanted to “avoid bloodshed”. Wagner’s forces were about four hours away from Moscow when news of the dramatic turnaround came. His decision to stop Wagner soldiers storming through Moscow saved him and his men from facing criminal charges over the attempted coup, the Kremlin said. The move marked a humiliating climbdown for Putin after he earlier vowed to take revenge on those behind the mutiny. Prigozhin, who sent out a series of audio and video updates during his revolt, has gone silent since the Kremlin announced the deal had been brokered for him to end his march and leave Russia. Before the mutiny was called off, there was speculation about Putin’s whereabouts after one of his planes was seen leaving Moscow. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky said: “The man from the Kremlin is obviously very scared and is probably hiding somewhere.” Read More Mutiny, mayhem and panic on the streets of Moscow: Russia saved from brink of civil war at 11th hour Russian mercenary leader's exile ends revolt but leaves questions about Putin's power ‘Let’s go home’: Wagner paramilitary troops prepare to turn around from Moscow advance