Who funds Wagner group? Russian mercenaries return to base post after chief Yevgeny Prigozhin stops march on Moscow

The Wagnar soldiers, who are Russian mercenaries, have returned to their base following talks with President Putin, According to a tweet from Reuter’s.

In a move that their leader claimed would prevent bloodshed, heavily armed Russian mercenaries who had come the majority of the way to Moscow stopped their approach, de-escalating a significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s hold on power, according to Reuters.

Also Read| Yevgeny Prigozhin to move to Belarus as part of deal to end Wagner uprising

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime ally of Putin and the leader of the Wagner army, claimed on Saturday that his troops had come within 125 miles (200 km) of the city. In advance of their arrival, Moscow had sent out soldiers and ordered citizens to remain indoors. They soon started leaving the military command center they had taken over in Rostov. According to the Kremlin, Prigozhin would leave for the neighboring country of Belarus and avoid punishment.

On Saturday, tensions between the military leadership in Moscow and Prigozhin, the leader of the private mercenary outfit Wagner, reached a point where an insurrection was declared.

Also Read| What will happen to Yevgeny Prigozhin’s men after Wagner Group turns back ‘to avoid bloodshed’

The Wagner commander declared his intention to respond after alleging that the Russian military leadership had killed a “huge amount” of his mercenary soldiers during an attack on a camp. As regional governors urged citizens to remain off the highways and a “counterterrorist operation regime” was proclaimed in Moscow, security troops were dispatched throughout western Russia.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, announced on Saturday that he had directed his troops to turn around and return to their facilities, seemingly abandoning an armed uprising that had them marching into Moscow. Prigozhin claimed in a post on Telegram that the action was taken to prevent bloodshed.

Also Read| Who are Sgt Alfred Flores, Officer Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos? San Antonio police officers charged with murder of woman

The government-run Russian media outlet Tass stated that Prigozhin’s criminal case would be withdrawn. The news agency quoted Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, as saying that Prigozhin would “go to Belarus” and that Wagner warriors would not face charges in a Telegram post.

Who funds Wagner group?

The Wagner Group has effectively diversified its sources of income; in addition to being partially supported by Prigozhin’s close connections to the Kremlin, the group has also obtained funding from abroad. For instance, Wagner received a portion of its payment in gold and diamonds for their work in CAR.