Russian tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin called off a rebellion by his Wagner mercenary group on Saturday in a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Russia will drop criminal charges against Prigozhin and he will "go to Belarus," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that Wagner's soldiers will not face prosecution.

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Lukashenko for mediating the agreement.

Wagner forces had reached the city of Lipetsk, some 450 kilometers south of Moscow, before Prigozhin ordered everyone back to their camps. Prigozhin and other Wagner troops were seen leaving the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, which they had seized.

Prigozhin began the rebellion on Friday after accusing Russia's military of launching a missile attack against his troops in Ukraine. Russian authorities denied it happened. 

With tensions easing, the Kremlin announced it would end a counterterrorism operation that put troops and military vehicles on the streets of Moscow.

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