The Latest Breaking News from Sergei Shoigu

WASHINGTON: Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin aimed to detain the heads of the Russian military in last week’s mutiny, but they discovered his planned rebellion early and avoided capture, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Though the Wagner coup over the weekend was over in a matter of hours, it was the strongest challenge against Vladimir Putin and his leadership in his 20 years in office - and it's a challenge that he will be unable to ride out, according to senior Ukrainian officials

The announcement follows the Kremlin's earlier pledge not to prosecute Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters after he stopped the revolt, even though President Vladimir Putin labeled them as traitors.

The mutiny by caterer Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenary army ended on Saturday before it really began. Prigozhin apparently has been persuaded to desist by Alexander Lukashenko, the dictator of Belarus, who agreed to let him move to his country, presumably with part of his fighting force. But his escapade’s consequences…

The whereabouts of mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin remain a mystery after Russian President Vladimir Putin once again blasted organizers of a weekend rebellion as traitors who played into the hands of Ukraine’s government and its Western allies

Lukashenko appears to have confirmed Yevgeney Prigozhin has landed in Belarus; Russian president says army and the people were not on Wagner side

Lukashenko confirms Prigozhin is in Belarus; Putin tells security forces they averted a ‘civil war’; Zelenskiy claims advances ‘in all directions’

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned leaders of the Wagner mercenary group as traitors to Russia in a late-night speech to the nation, his first public comments since the mutiny that posed the most serious threat to his nearly quarter-century rule.

While the mutiny was short-lived and its goals unclear, it will have lasting effects