Russia dismisses criminal charges against against Prigozhin, other Wagner Group members in rebellion

Russia's Federal Security Service on Tuesday said the criminal charges are dismissed against Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, and other participants in the uprising over the weekend.

By Saturday, "armed rebellion ... participants stopped actions directly aimed at committing a crime," the FSB said, as translated. "Taking into account this and other circumstances relevant to the investigation, on June 27, 2023, the investigating authority issued a decision to close the criminal case."

The Kremlin pledged over the weekend to not prosecute Prigozhin and said he would be exiled to the ally of Belarus instead. A jet associated with Prigozhin reportedly landed near Minsk on Tuesday morning, The Associated Press reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday denounced the uprising, which started when Wagner group members abandoned the front line of Ukraine, seized the Rostov-on-Don military post and marched toward Moscow before voluntarily stopping.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.