Prigozhin said while his men are just 200km (120 miles) from Moscow, he decided on Saturday to turn them back to prevent killings.
“They wanted to disband the Wagner military company. We embarked on a march of justice on June 23. Now, the moment has come when blood could be spilled,” said Prigozhin in an audio message.
“Understanding responsibility [for the chance] that Russian blood will be spilled on one side, we are turning our columns around and going back to field camps as planned.”
Moscow braced for the arrival of the private army led by the rebellious mercenary commander by erecting checkpoints with armoured vehicles and troops on its southern edge. Red Square was shut down, and the mayor urged motorists to stay off some roads.
‘What’s really going to happen’
Prigozhin’s comments came after Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he negotiated with the mercenary boss to stop Wagner’s troop movement after discussing the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He accepted Lukashenko’s offer to halt the Wagner group’s advance and further steps to de-escalate the tensions, Lukashenko’s office said, adding the proposed settlement contains security guarantees for Wagner troops. It did not elaborate.
Prigozhin did not say whether the Kremlin responded to his demand to remove Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.
Putin faced the biggest threat to his 22-year rule yet with rebel mercenaries advancing towards the Russian capital after seizing a key military base.
Pavel Felgenhauer, a Russian defence analyst, said it remained to be seen how the incident plays out.
“What’s really going to happen, we’ll have to see tomorrow. And who actually did give which concessions to whom,” he told Al Jazeera. “Ceasefires don’t hold that easily. Before you see the small print, it’s not the time to say that it’s over. It can easily unravel in an hour or two, or tomorrow.”
Putin promised harsh consequences for organisers of the armed uprising led by his onetime protege, who brought his forces out of Ukraine, seized a key military facility in southern Russia, and advanced towards Moscow.
Back to Africa?
If he accedes to Prigozhin’s demand to oust Shoigu, Prigozhin would emerge from the crisis as a clear winner in a major blow to Putin’s authority.
If Prigozhin agrees not to press the demand, Putin could award him with more lucrative government contracts like those on which he has built his fortune in the past.
However, it would be awkward and politically damaging for Putin to backtrack after branding Prigozhin a backstabbing traitor.
Some observers speculated that Prigozhin could make concessions such as putting the Wagner Group under federal authority, or he could shift the force’s activities back to Africa, where his mercenaries have been active in recent years.
‘Suffer inevitable punishment’
In a televised speech to the nation, Putin called the rebellion a “betrayal” and “treason”.
“All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment,” Putin said. “The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders.”
Authorities declared a “counterterrorist regime” in the capital and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday the revolt by Wagner troops exposed complete chaos in the country.
“Today, the world can see that the masters of Russia control nothing. And that means nothing. Simply complete chaos. An absence of any predictability,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
Addressing Putin while switching from Ukrainian into Russian language, Zelenskyy said, “The longer your troops remain on Ukrainian land, the greater the devastation they will bring to Russia.”