Minsk (Belarus): The head of the Wagner Group private military company (PMC), Yevgeny Prigozhin has accepted the proposal of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of Wagner troops in Russia and take further steps to de-escalate the situation, the Belarusian presidential office said on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin briefed his Belarusian counterpart on the situation in southern Russia around the PMC Wagner, with the two leaders agreeing on coordinated actions, according to Lukashenko's office.

Pool Pervogo Telegram channel quoted Lukashenko's Office as saying, "In line with the agreements and as agreed with the Russian president, the Belarusian president held talks with the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, after additionally clarifying the situation via its own channels.

“As a result, agreements on unacceptability of unleashing a bloody slaughter on the Russian territory were reached. Yevgeny Prigozhin has accepted the proposal of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of Wagner troops on the Russian territory and take further steps to de-escalate tensions."

Dmitry #Peskov: An agreement has been reached that #Wagner PMC will leave for their field camps, and #Prigozhin himself will leave for #Belarus. The authorities will not persecute those Wagnerites who took part in the rebellion, given their front-line merits.

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 24, 2023

❗️ Prigozhin said he is turning the columns around and returning the "Wagner" PMC to the camps

As Wagner mercenary group came closer, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin declared a state of emergency in Russia’s capital on Saturday.

Moscow Sobyanin said that a counterterrorist operation had been declared in Moscow and that the situation was complicated.

"Dear citizens, a counterterrorist operation has been declared in Moscow. The situation is complicated," Sobyanin wrote on social media.

On Friday, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case for inciting armed mutiny over statements made on behalf of the head of the Wagner Group private military company (PMC), Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The FSB said that there was a threat of escalation on Russian territory. The Russian Defense Ministry said that social media reports of alleged Russian military strikes on PMC Wagner camps were not true.

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a televised address to the nation on Saturday in which he described the actions of the Wagner Group PMC as an armed mutiny and treason, and promised harsh measures against the insurgents.

(With UNI/Sputnik inputs)