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
The Wagner Group called off its attempted coup in Russia after Kremlin intelligence services threatened to harm the families of its leaders, UK security sources say.
The mercenary army, led by commander Yevgeny Prigozhin, made a sudden U-turn on Saturday after getting within 120 miles of Moscow — a retreat allegedly courtesy of a deal was brokered by Belarus and shocking US intelligence officials.
The swift end to the rebellion came after Russian agents warned Prigozhin and other Wagner leaders that their families would face retaliation if they continued, British intelligence sources told The Telegraph.
It’s also believed Wagner called off the march because its alleged 25,000-strong mercenary force only really had 8,000 fighters, putting them at an overwhelming disadvantage against Moscow’s defenses, the sources added.
Prigozhin reportedly ordered his troops to return to their Ukraine training fields after accepting a deal to be exiled to Belarus and avoid criminal charges.
The reputed deal, brokered by Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko, also called on a pardon for Prigozhin’s mutinous mercenaries, with the Kremlin extending Ministry of Defense jobs to any Wagner soldier who did not participate in the rebellion.


It remains unclear if Putin will follow through on the alleged sweetheart deal extended to Wagner, as politicians and analysts around the globe have agreed that the attempted coup has left the Russian president humiliated and looking weak.
“You almost nullified Putin, took control of the central authorities, reached Moscow and suddenly… you retreat,” tweeted Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who Putin is waging war against.
Podolyak agreed with other security experts who warned that Prigozhin would eventually be executed, not pardoned, for leading the coup.
Putin appeared live on Russian TV on Monday at a youth farming event but made no mention of his country’s turmoil.