Russia drops charges against Wagner chief Prigozhin as he lands in Belarus

This comes after the Kremlin said that it will not prosecute Prigozhin and his fighters.

Russian authorities said that they have closed a criminal investigation into the rebellion led by Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. No charges will be imposed against him or any of the other participants, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said adding that the investigation found that those involved in the mutiny “ceased activities directed at committing the crime.” The charge of mounting an armed mutiny carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison in Russia.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, is seen.

This comes after the Kremlin said that it will not prosecute Prigozhin and his fighters after he stopped the revolt, even though Russian president Vladimir Putin branded them as traitors.

The Russian mercenary chief flew to Belarus from Russia after launching the biggest blow to Vladimir Putin's authority since he came to power more than 23 years ago. Flightradar24 showed the business jet appeared in Rostov region and began a descent near Minsk, news agency Reuters reported.

In his nationally televised speech, Vladimir Putin criticized the uprising’s “organizers,” without naming Prigozhin but praised Russian unity in the face of the crisis. Meanwhile, Prigozhin defended his actions taunting the Russian military but said he hadn’t been seeking to stage a coup against the president.

The Belarusian leadership proposed solutions that would allow Wagner to operate “in a legal jurisdiction", AFP reported.