The boss of Russia’s Wagner group has said on his Telegram channel that he has agreed to “stop” the advancement of his troops towards Moscow.

In a surprise move, Yevgeny Prigozhin said his fighters were returning to field camps in Ukraine and did not want to “spill Russian blood”.

Hours earlier, he had called for a rebellion against the Russian army.

In response, President Vladimir Putin had pledged to punish those who had “betrayed” Russia.

Video by Gem O’Reilly, Megan Fisher and Alex Smith