There were some big developments in Russia over the weekend.
The Wagner Group was poised to launch a coup on the Russian military, but it was called off after the president of Belarus got involved, and the situation appears to have calmed.
Before we launch into a breakdown of what happened, here are some key things to keep in mind:
- What is the Wagner Group? It is a private army of fighters founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin. The troops are described as "mercenaries", meaning professional soldiers who work for money, not for a particular country or cause.
- Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? He's a wealthy Russian warlord who was once one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's close allies.
- Who were the Wagner Group fighting for? It had been helping Russia fight Ukraine, with Mr Prigozhin recruiting Russian prisoners who vowed to fight in Ukraine in exchange for their freedom.
- So why is the Wagner Group against the Russian government? Over the past few months, Mr Prigozhin repeatedly accused Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu of incompetence and of deliberately undersupplying his men in Ukraine. More recently, he said Russia had ordered attacks on some of his troops.
- What's this got to do with Belarus? Belarus is Russia's close ally, allowing the Russian army to mount attacks on Ukraine from Belarusian soil. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also has a long history with Mr Prigozhin.
Now, let's recap the past few days to get you up to speed.
Friday
Prigozhin's 'march for justice'
The founder of Russia's Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ordered his troops to march to Russia's capital city Moscow from where they were stationed in Ukraine.
He said it wasn't a military coup, describing it instead as a "march for justice".
Reuters reported that Mr Prigozhin said the war in Ukraine was built on lies and called for the "evil" of Russian military leadership to be stopped.
He said the Russian military had attacked his troops and accused Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering the bodies of 2,000 dead Wagner fighters be hidden.
Russia announces criminal charges against Prigozhin
Russia's state-run news agency TASS said the nation's federal security service opened a criminal case against Mr Prigozhin for calling for armed mutiny.
Interfax news agency cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Mr Putin had been briefed and "necessary measures are being taken".
Wagner fighters urged to retreat
Russia's Ukraine campaign deputy commander General Sergei Surovikin urged Wagner fighters to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases.
"I urge you to stop," he said in a video message posted on social media platform Telegram.
"The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to worsen in our country."
Security tightens in Moscow
Security measures at government buildings, transport facilities and other key locations in Moscow were strengthened.
Military vehicles were seen throughout the streets of Moscow on Friday night.
Saturday
Wagner group crosses into Russia
In the early hours of Saturday morning, Mr Prigozhin posted on Telegram that his men had crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia.
He said they had entered the southern Rostov region, which borders on Ukraine, and were ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military.
His men would destroy anyone who stood in their way, Mr Prigozhin said.
Loading...Citizens told to stay indoors
Rostov region governor Vassily Golubev told residents early on Saturday to remain calm and stay indoors
"Law enforcement agencies are doing everything necessary to ensure the safety of residents of the area. I ask everyone to stay calm and not to leave home unless necessary," he said on Telegram just before 4am.
Wagner boss makes demand from military HQ
Mr Prigozhin said he was at the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District, which is in the city of Rostov-on-Don.
In a social media video, Mr Prigozhin was seen sitting between two senior generals, one of them army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev, who had earlier issued a video urging the Wagner group to reconsider.
"We have arrived here, we want to receive the chief of the general staff and Shoigu," Mr Prigozhin said.
"Unless they come, we'll be here, we'll blockade the city of Rostov and head for Moscow."
'Anti-terrorist operation' launched in Moscow
Russia's anti-terrorist committee said on Saturday that it was imposing a counter-terrorist regime in Moscow and the surrounding region.
The Russian Defence Ministry issued a statement saying Wagner fighters had been "deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure" by Mr Prigozhin, promising their safety if they handed themselves over to Russian forces.
Loading...Putin's speech
Mr Putin gave a televised address.
He said Wagner fighters were heroes who "liberated" the Donbass region of Ukraine, but said Russia was facing treason and Mr Prigozhin's revolt was a stab in the back.
Loading...Wagner Group advances towards Moscow
Reuters reported that a convoy of about 5,000 Wagner Group fighters were heading towards the outskirts of Russia's capital.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Saturday asked citizens to refrain from travelling around the city where possible, declaring Monday would be a non-working day — with some exceptions — in order "to minimise risks".
Video showed convoys of Wagner vehicles less than 500km from Moscow.
Belarus President brokers deal with Prigozhin
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he'd struck a deal with Mr Prigozhin, who agreed to de-escalate the situation.
Mr Prigozhin said his forces would return to base in order to avoid bloodshed.
The Russian government said Mr Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Mr Putin's agreement, because he had known Mr Prigozhin personally for around 20 years.
Wagner forces pull out of Rostov-on-Don
Reuters reported that Wagner forces pulling away from the district military headquarters on Saturday night.
Mr Prigozhin could be seen leaving the district military headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don in a video posted on Telegram.
Scant details of deal revealed
Russia's government said the criminal case opened against Mr Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped.
It said Mr Prigozhin would move to Belarus and Wagner fighters who joined his "march for justice" would face no action, in recognition of their previous service to Russia.
Mr Peskov declined to say whether any concessions were made to Mr Prigozhin, other than guarantees of safety for him and his troops.
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