Wagner forces leaving Russia's southern Voronezh region: governor

Wagner fighters were leaving Russia's southern Voronezh region Sunday, the local governor said, after the group halted a dramatic rebellion to bring down Russia's top brass and U-turned on a march to Moscow.

The Kremlin announced Saturday that the mutiny had ended after Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin agreed to leave Russia for Moscow-allied Belarus.

Little is known about what happened in Voronezh region on Saturday, where Russia said the army was deployed and led "combat" operations.

A huge unexplained fire raged at an oil depot in the city during the mutiny.

"The movement of Wagner units through the Voronezh region is ending," Voronezh governor Alexander Gusev said.

The movement "is running normally and without incidents," Gusev added, saying travel restrictions imposed during Saturday's operation against the mutiny will be lifted once "the situation is finally resolved."

Gusev said authorities will inform residents about compensation for damage and thanked them for their "endurance, firmness and reason".

On Saturday, he had called for people in Voronezh to stay at home and expressed support for President Vladimir Putin.

Other Russian southern regions and areas on the way to Moscow, where the fighters said they would get to, began lifting restrictions imposed during the dramatic rebellion.

In southern Rostov-on-Don, where Wagner took an army HQ, train and bus stations started working normally and road restrictions were lifted, authorities said Sunday.

In Moscow, however, a "counter-terrorist operation regime" was still in force.




AFP