Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin to avoid charges, instead face exile in sweetheart deal

Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenary fighting force will not face charges and will instead be exiled despite leading an armed insurrection against Moscow Saturday, the Kremlin said.

The criminal case against Prigozhin will be dropped and the mercenary group leader will go to Belarus instead of facing prosecution in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said.

Any of Prigozhin’s troops who marched in the rebellion will also avoid charges for their “service” on the front lines of the war in Ukraine, Peskov said.

Instead, they will be given the opportunity to sign...