Russia's Wagner: A mercenary army's mutinous march to Moscow to ask for justice

This screengrab shows Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (C) and officers looking at a map in an undisclosed location, his first public appearance since the Wagner mutiny on June 26, 2023. Wagner's war-weary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's decision to advance on Moscow was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war, resulting in the territory and military personnel losses.

Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. A longtime associate of Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin is an ex-felon, owner of a hot-dog vend and fancy restaurants. He later provided catering and utility services to the Russian military, earning him the nickname 'Putin's chef'. Prigozhin owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that is central to Russian influence in trouble spots worldwide.

Activists hold a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin near Red Square in Moscow on June 24, 2023. President Putin addressed the nation, described Wagner's action as a 'stab in the back' and promised swift and decisive action after Wagner succeeded in capturing the Russian army's southern HQ in Rostov-on-don before heading to Moscow.

A view of the city of Rostov-on-Don on June 24, 2023. The Wagner formations began a march on Moscow, travelling several hundred kilometres from the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the largest city in southern Russia that houses Wagner's military headquarters and carries out military operations in Ukraine.

A video grab shared from Wagner's social media accounts shows their military convoy struck by a Russian airstrike. The Wagner formations were nearing Moscow when they were strafed by some Russian air force planes. In retaliation, the Wagner troops shot down six Russian helicopters and a surveillance plane, which was way more than what Russia lost in Ukraine in the war.

A Russian poses for a photo in front of the Wagner Group military vehicle en route to Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. The Wagner columns were about 200 km away from Moscow, readying for a battle and bloodshed with the capital's military divisions when, in an unexpected twist, they turned to head back to Rostov on a word from Prigozhin.

The body of a soldier is seen near a destroyed Russian tank in Donetsk region, Ukraine, June 14, 2023. The reason that Wagner's troops got this close to Russia's capital was this: the reluctance to fight and respect on the part of Russian troops towards these fighters who had won the battles against Ukraine at Bakhmut and Soledar in Donetsk region, suffering a heavy loss of personnel for the Russians.

Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group on return to base, Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko negotiated a peaceful compromise between the Russians and Wagner. The criminal case for inciting mutiny against Prigozhin would be withdrawn when he agreed to move to Belarus. The fighters are back in the bases, guaranteed to face no action. In the wake of their mutiny, Wagner's future hangs in the balance.