Russian rebellion: Wagner boss off to Belarus but threat not over, experts say

Experts have warned that although the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin is being sent to Belarus, the threat of an uprising in Russia is still looming.

They also said that the danger for the Wagner boss is not over yet.

On Saturday Russia was faced with a threat of an armed insurrection, with Wagner fighters marching toward Moscow and occupying cities along the way.

Prigozhin called off his troops from further advances to Moscow and a deal was reached with neighbouring Belarus to be sent there and not face any charges.

A spokesperson for the Kremlin said that Wagner fighters will face no legal action for their part in the insurrection and will instead sign contracts with Russia’s Ministry of Defence.

Putin must now navigate the aftermath of the most serious challenge to his authority since he came to power in 2000, following a series of threats of a civil war.

The crisis in Russia erupted on Friday when Prigozhin accused Russia’s military of attacking a Wagner camp and killing his men – and vowed to retaliate by force.

He then led his troops into Rostov-on-Don and claimed to have taken control of key military facilities in the Voronezh region, where there was an apparent clash between Wagner units and Russian forces.

Prigozhin insisted it was not a coup but a “march of justice”. Russia denied that it attacked the troops and Putin had vowed to punish all those that took part.

The Wagner group is an independent fighting company with different conditions than the Russian military.