Wagner boss Prigozhin called off his coup after Putin’s thugs ‘threatened mercnaries’ families’

The leaders of the Wagner mercenary group, according to British intelligence services, were threatened by the Russian secret service before leader Yevgeny Prigozhin halted his advance on the capital.

The group was also estimated to be equipped with only 8,500 fighters rather than the 25,000 men previously claimed, and faced almost certain defeat in their offensive on Moscow.

It is clear that Putin will now try to incorporate Wagner’s soldiers – who are believed to have superior skills and training – into his regular army, while defending the group’s leaders. That reports the Telegraph.

This British intelligence story offers some explanation as to why Prigozhin – the leader of the Wagner group and formerly a strong ally of Putin – chose to call off Saturday’s mutiny just hours from Moscow.

There is speculation as to whether a deal has been struck. The Kremlin has stated that Prigozhin would be sent to Belarus in exchange for a pardon for treason charges.

Members of the Wagner group prepare to withdraw from the headquarters of the Southern Military District to return to their base in Rostov-on-Don late Saturday

Wagner’s leader himself has not commented and it is unclear whether Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defense minister sacked by Pirgozhin, is still in his post.

Wagner mercenaries who took part in the armed uprising will not be prosecuted, the Kremlin has said.

Members of the private military group, who have been accused of rape, murder and torture worldwide, would also be offered contracts with regular Russian forces, it was alleged.

The deal was brokered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who said he persuaded Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to recall his troops to avoid bloodshed. On Saturday, they were filmed leaving Rostov-on-Don with Prigozhin to the cheers of some locals.

Prigozhin said he ordered his troops to return to field camps in occupied areas of Ukraine. It remains to be seen what will happen to the group now and whether troops will follow it to Belarus.

Wagner – founded in 2014 – did not officially exist. But Prigozhin built it into a powerful force through interventions in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine, where it has become prominent.

A man sits atop an armored vehicle in southern Russia as residents talk to military personnel on the street Saturday, awaiting news of Wagner’s march on the capital

Police and military are checking vehicles going in and out of the city in the Yasenevo district of southern Moscow on Saturday

Yevgeny Prigozhin said he ordered his troops to return to field camps in occupied areas of Ukraine. It remains to be seen what will happen to the group now and whether troops will follow it to Belarus

Civilians stand by military vehicles on a street of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023

Vladimir Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that troops who took part in the uprising would not be prosecuted given their “performance at the front”.

Putin had said all “volunteer units” would have to sign contracts before July 1, which would put them under the control of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. This is believed to have angered Prigozhin. An ex-Wagner commander told the Guardian it was ‘unlikely’ that many would join the regular Russian army. He said, “It’s Wagner or nothing.”

But there were reports that others had accused him of “running away.” In a video, a Wagner unit said Prigozhin was “not a man.” “Rumor has it that you ran off and lied to all the guys,” one of them said.

Lord Dannatt, an ex-Chief of the British Army General Staff, expressed concern over whether Prigozhin was being moved to lead an attack on Kiev from Belarus.