The Wagner private military group halted its advance towards the Russian capital Moscow despite having covered most of the distance, resulting in de-escalation of a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power, in a move the group's leader said would spare the country bloodshed.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former ally of Putin and founder of the Wagner group, said his men reached a distance of 200 kilometers from the capital on Saturday. Earlier, Moscow deployed troops in preparation for their arrival and asked residents to stay indoors.

A video also showed Wagner fighters controlling the city of Rostov in southern Russia before they moved in a convoy across the country carrying tanks and armored trucks and breaking down barriers set up to stop them.

A Reuters witness said Wagner fighters loaded tanks onto trailers on Saturday evening and began withdrawing from the military headquarters in Rostov they had seized.

Prigozhin, dressed in full combat gear at an undisclosed location in a video, said, "Within 24 hours, we were 200 kilometers away from Moscow. During this time, not a single one of our fighters shed a drop of blood."

He added, "We understand that Russian blood would be shed unilaterally, so we decided to return our fighters to the field camps as planned."

Reuters could not independently verify the location Wagner forces have reached so far. An earlier video showed convoys of Wagner vehicles 500 kilometers from Moscow.

Also, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that under an agreement mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the criminal case against Prigozhin for armed rebellion will be dropped, he will move to Belarus, and Wagner fighters who joined the "March for Justice" will not face any action in appreciation of their previous service to Russia.

The presidential office in Belarus said President Alexander Lukashenko mediated an agreement to de-escalate by Wagner fighters in Russia after obtaining Putin’s approval in exchange for guarantees of their safety.

Peskov, who described the day’s events as "tragic," said Lukashenko offered to mediate with Putin’s consent because he has known Prigozhin personally for about 20 years.

 No significant movement from Russian armed forces:

Wagner’s lightning rebellion appeared to unfold without noticeable reaction from the regular Russian armed forces, raising questions about Putin’s control over the nuclear-armed state even after Wagner’s sudden halt in advance.

Earlier, Prigozhin said his "march" to Moscow aimed to expel corrupt and incompetent Russian leaders whom he blamed for the failure of the war in Ukraine.

Putin also said in a televised address that the rebellion threatens Russia’s very existence.

He added: "We are fighting for the life and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for our right to survive. Russia is a country with a history that stretches back a thousand years," and pledged to punish those behind the "armed rebellion."

Peskov later explained the agreement brokered by Lukashenko had a "higher purpose" — to avoid confrontation and bloodshed.

Peskov also refused to disclose whether any concessions were made to Prigozhin, apart from guarantees of safety, which Putin promised Prigozhin and his men to convince them to withdraw all their forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the developments, which sparked a wave of high-level contacts between Western leaders, revealed turmoil at the heart of Russia.

Additionally, Zelensky said in his nightly recorded address, "The world today can see that the masters of Russia do not control anything. And that means absolutely nothing. Simply complete chaos and lack of predictability."

The Wagner rebellion apparently began on Friday after Prigozhin claimed, without evidence, that the military killed several of his fighters in an airstrike. The Defense Ministry denied this.

He said he seized the southern military district headquarters in Rostov without firing a shot.

Western capitals had been closely watching the situation. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, and Britain, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in the G7. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley canceled a planned trip to the Middle East.

 Ukrainian attacks near Bakhmut:

The rebellion threatened to leave Russian invading forces in Ukraine in chaos, as Kyiv mounts its strongest counteroffensive since the war began in February last year.

Some Ukrainians expressed happiness at the potential division within the Russian ranks after 16 months of Russia’s invasion of their country.

The Ukrainian army said on Saturday that its forces made advances near Bakhmut on the eastern front and in the south.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on the Telegram app that Ukrainian forces launched an attack near a group of villages surrounding Bakhmut, the city Wagner forces seized in May after months of fighting.

Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the southern front commander, said Ukrainian forces liberated an area near Krasnohorivka in Donetsk. He added that the area had been under Russian control since separatist forces backed by Moscow took it in 2014.