Rebel mercenaries turn back short of Moscow

STORY: Mutinous Russian mercenaries who had been surging to Moscow agreed to turn back on Saturday to avoid bloodshed.

That's according to the leader of the Wagner private army, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

In an audio message, the former ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said his forces got about 125 miles from the capital.

"Now the moment has come when blood could be spilled," he said, adding, "we are turning our columns around."

Reuters could not independently verify how far fighters got.

The de-escalation of the major challenge to Putin's grip on power was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, his office said.

Under the deal, Prigozhin will move to Belarus, the Kremlin said, with safety guarantees for the leader and his men.

It all marked a dramatic U-turn from just hours before, with Russian armoured vehicles rolling past the Kremlin, checkpoints outside Moscow and warnings to residents to avoid going out.

And in the previously rebel-captured city of Rostov-on-Don, troops began pulling out by Saturday night.

The lightning insurrection appeared to unfold without much pushback from Russia's regular armed forces.

Prigozhin had said his so-called "march for justice" was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Wagner revolt exposed "complete chaos" in Russia.

It came just as Kyiv is launching its strongest counteroffensive since the war began last year.

Western capitals said they were watching developments closely, with U.S. President Joe Biden speaking with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany.