Russian governor: Wagner militants leaving Voronezh Oblast
Alexander Gusev, the governor of Russia's southern Voronezh Oblast, said on June 25 that Wagner militants were leaving the region a day after the group dropped its armed rebellion heading toward Moscow.
"The movement of Wagner units through Voronezh Oblast is ending," Gusev said in a Telegram post.
The travel and social restrictions, the governor said, would be lifted once "the situation is finally resolved."
Gusev's statement comes a day after Reuters reported, citing a Russian security source, that the Wagner militants had seized all of the regional capital Voronezh's military facilities on June 24.
On June 23, Prigozhin launched a rebellion "to restore justice" after alleging that a Russian missile strike on his mercenary forces' camps in Ukraine caused substantial casualties.
The biggest armed rebellion under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin was short-lived and appeared to be over by the end of June 24. Prigozhin said that his forces would return to military camps.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on June 24 that the insurrection case against Prigozhin would be dropped, and he would move to Belarus.
The Wagner mercenaries are infamously known for their brutal assault tactics, most recently in Bakhmut.
Multiple countries, including the U.S., have designated Wagner as an international criminal organization.
Francis Farrell
