A local official reported Sunday that the leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and his fighters had left the southern Russian city of Rostov-Na-Donu.
“A Wagner column left Rostov and headed to their field camps,” claimed Vasily Golubev, Governor of Rostov Oblast, on Telegram.
Wagner was seen on social media exiting the Russian Southern Military District Headquarters in Rostov-Na-Don and removing military equipment.
In addition, camera footage showed Prigozhin driving away from Rostov-Na-Don.
Wagner accused Russian soldiers of attacking its fighters on Friday, after which the group crossed from Ukraine into Russia’s Rostov-on-Don.
In response, the Russian Federal Security Service opened a criminal complaint against Wagner for “armed mutiny.” Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned Wagner’s uprising as “treason.”
Prigozhin stated that his fighters will travel to Moscow, leading the Kremlin to tighten security around the country.
He later claimed that his forces turned back to avoid bloodshed when they were 200 kilometres (124 miles) from Moscow, whereas Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that he held conversations with Wagner’s head with Putin’s agreement, and Prigozhin accepted a de-escalation plan.