Wagner troops 'turning back' as Putin vows to defeat rebels
Jun 25, 2023
Moscow [Russia], June 25: The chief of mercenary group Wagner said in a surprise announcement on Saturday that his troops were turning back to avoid spilling blood. "We are turning our columns around and going back to field camps," Yevgeny Prigozhin announced after vowing to march on Moscow to topple the military leadership. He said he understood the importance of the moment and did not want to "spill Russian blood." The mercenaries had advanced north towards Moscow after seizing a key military base Saturday, just as Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin vowed to defeat the revolt and head off the threat of civil war.