A convoy of Wagner fighters has left Rostov-on-Don, the Russian city's governor has confirmed. 

"The Wagner PMC convoy left Rostov and headed to its field camps, Vasily Golubev said on Telegram. 

"I am grateful to everyone who in these extraordinary conditions ensured the smooth operation of the life support systems in the Don capital and the entire Rostov region." 

The mercenary forces took over the city in the early hours of this morning but their boss Yevgeny Prigozhin later ordered them to withdraw after coming to an agreement with Vladimir Putin brokered by Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko. 

Today's unexpected events in Russia are continuing to make headlines on the front of tomorrow's newspapers. 

Here's what some of them are reporting...

The Mail on Sunday asks if Vladimir Putin bribed Yevgeny Prigozhin to leave the country after the Wagner Group leader stood down his mercenaries while they were on the road to Moscow.

The Sunday Times describes Vladimir Putin as being "humiliated" by the mutinying Wagner mercenaries adding that Yevgeny Prigozhin has been exiled to Belarus but avoided charges.

The Sunday Mirror says Vladimir Putin has been "pushed to the brink", adding that Wagner Group mercenaries only halted their march on Moscow "at the 11th hour".

Take a look at some other headlines below...

Sunday's national newspaper front pages | UK News | Sky News

Sky News

At least 13 Russian soldiers have been killed as a result of the Wagner mutiny, according to Moscow pro-war media outlets. 

The patriotic Russian weekly Readovka, without citing its sources, estimated that 15 people were killed, including soldiers who were on board the downed planes and helicopters. 

At least eight people were on board the air control post on an IL-18 aircraft, the publication claimed. 

Telegram channel Rybar reported more than 20 pilots who were on board seven helicopters and planes were killed.

And another Telegram account named Fighterbomber, which promptly reported on downed aircraft during the mutiny, reported 13 dead.

It should be noted that Sky News cannot confirm any of these reports. 

As we've been reporting, Wagner fighters have started to leave Rostov-on-Don after occupying it earlier today. 

Marching out of the Russian city's military headquarters, they were met by crowds of people as traffic officers stood by. 

Here are some of the latest photos from inside the area...

At least 3,000 elite Chechen troops took up positions in Moscow to defend the Russian capital against advancing Wagner fighters, the Chechen state broadcaster has reported.

"The fighters have been at their positions in Moscow since early morning and are ready to carry out any order from Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin," Grozny wrote on Telegram.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has since stood down his men, but there have not been any reports suggesting Chechen fighters have been told to leave their positions yet. 

Rishi Sunak will stay in close contact with Western allies after a deal was struck to end the Wagner rebellion in Russia. 

The UK prime minister spoke to US president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz this afternoon "to discuss the situation in Russia and reiterate their continuing support for Ukrainian sovereignty", Downing Street said.

"The leaders have agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days," a No 10 spokesperson said.

It followed a meeting of the government's emergency COBRA committee chaired by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who also joined a call with fellow G7 foreign ministers to discuss the fast-moving situation.

The Wagner group's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has agreed to leave Russia as part of the deal to end his uprising and charges against him will be dropped, the Kremlin has said. 

Russian authorities will not prosecute troops who joined him in the mutiny and will offer Russian military contracts to those who did not, it added. 

Yevgeny Prigozhin has reportedly left the Russian military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. 

Photos and videos appeared to show the Wagner boss leaving the building in a car after ordering his men to return to there bases. 

Mutinous mercenary fighters took control of the premises, which have been used to coordinate Russia's invasion of Ukraine, earlier today. 

Some more footage has appeared online showing Wagner fighters withdrawing from Rostov-on-Don. 

The group reportedly took control of the city, which has been home to the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine, earlier today. 

A convoy of troops had been advancing towards Moscow until around 6.30pm UK time when the mercenary group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin confirmed it had ordered his men to withdraw. 

Since then, clips have been posted on social media purportedly showing the fighters clearing up and leaving the city. 

Here are some examples...

Marina Litvinenko, the widow of the former FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko who was killed through polonium poisoning, said the Wagner Group's attempt at a mutiny in Moscow was "predictable". 

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Litvinenko said the situation has highlighted Vladimir Putin's lack of authority in Russia. 

Talking about what needs to happen, she said the West needs to "take Putin out as soon as possible", with the involvement of people inside Russia. 

She added that she will "never support" Yevgeny Prigozhin due to his actions in Ukraine, but that someone in Russia must take control from Putin to spark change in the country.

It's been a head spinning 24 hours given the events that have taken place, says our defence and security editor Deborah Haynes. 

An apparent armed rebellion and then a U-turn and now news from the Kremlin that Priogzhin, the man who has been behind all of this, is going to be cleared of all criminal charges. 

You'll remember that overnight the Russian security services said that there was a criminal case against him for armed mutiny.

That has all been dropped and he is going to relocate to next door Belarus - a close allied country with Russia

The Kremlin also said that Alexander Lukashenko, who is the leader of Belarus and someone who has apparently known Mr Prigozhin for the last couple of decades, volunteered to mediate in this confrontation and has secured this deal. 

It all does look like a bit of theatre as opposed to the grave threat to the state that it appeared to be earlier on throughout the day.

Vladimir Putin came out with this extraordinary statement earlier gravely cracking down on the actions of Prigozhin and his followers but now it seems all has been forgiven. 

The hope I'm assuming is that things can get back to the normal abnormality that is life in Russia during this time of war in Ukraine. 

But the events have been so extraordinary that I think it's going to take much longer to unpick exactly what happened. 

Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus under a deal brokered by the Belarusian president to end today's armed mutiny against Russia's military leadership, the Kremlin has said.

The Wagner boss and his fighters will also be safe from prosecution under the agreement, it added. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Alexander Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's agreement, because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years. 

Wagner's assault on Russia will be a "big embarrassment" for Vladimir Putin, the executive director of the Anti Corruption Foundation has said. 

Speaking to Sky News, Vladimir Ashurkov said Yevgeny Progozhin probably sensed the "mortal danger he was in" before announcing a de-escalation of his revolt, but it's too soon to say "if this is the end".

"The important thing is that he is a brutal warlord but he is not dumb," he said. 

"I think he counted on some support in the Kremlin, in Russian power structures, and we do not know what kind of deal he was made with Vladimir Putin through Lukashenko." 

An agreement to stop Wagner troops continuing their advance was brokered between Prigozhin and the Russian president through the leader of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

"Any positive change in Russia will start with some turmoil and instability, whether this is the start of such instability we don't know but for sure we see that Putin's regime is quite fragile," Mr Ashurkov added.

"It's a big embarrassment for Putin." 

Over the last 24 hours, mutinous Russian mercenary fighters surged most of the way to Moscow before their leader ordered them to turn back to "avoid bloodshed". 

Here's how today's extraordinary events unfolded...

Friday

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the Wagner group, released a video stepping up his feud with Russia's military and rejects Vladimir Putin's core reasons for invading Ukraine for the first time, saying they are based on "lies". 

In audio recordings, he went on to say the "evil" of the Russian military leadership "must be stopped" and that his fighters will lead "a march for justice".

Russia's security service responded by opening a criminal case against Prigozhin and the deputy commander of Moscow's Ukraine campaign urges Wagner militia to return to their bases. 

Saturday

In the early hours of this morning, Prigozhin said his men had crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and were ready to go "all the way" against the country's military.

In an audio recording on Telegram, he said his fighters had entered the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. 

The region's governor told residents to remain calm and stay indoors as it became clear that Wagner forces had taken control of the city. 

Russian's Defence Ministry issued a statement appealing to the group to abandon Prigozhin, saying they have been "deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure".

Vladimir Putin then made a televised address vowing to crush what he called an armed mutiny, and accused Prigozhin of "treason".

Shortly after, Russian military helicopters opened fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than halfway towards Moscow. 

Russian soldiers also set up a machine gun position on the southwest edge of Moscow, according to photographs published by the Vedomosti newspaper.

Russia's Foreign Ministry issues a statement warning Western countries against using the Wagner group's mutiny "to achieve their Russophobic goals".

Then, at around 6.30pm UK time, the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had brokered a deal with Prigozhin who has agreed to de-escalate the situation.

Minutes later, Prigozhin confirmed he had ordered his fighters advancing on Moscow in convoy to turn around and return to their bases. 

In Rostov-on-Don, Wagner soldiers are preparing to withdraw following an order from their boss to return to their bases. 

A video shows fighters celebrating after Yevgeny Prigozhin issued an audio message confirming a de-escalation of the situation. 

The group reportedly seized control of the city, which has been acting as the nerve centre of the Ukraine invasion, in the early hours of this morning.

"Lads, let's load up and get back home," a person cheers in the clip below. 

Russian state news agency TASS also reported that Wagner fighters had started to leave territory near the city's military headquarters. 

Restrictions imposed as Wagner group fighters raged through Russia are now being lifted in one city, the region's governor has said. 

People in Lipetsk were urged to stay inside and roads were closed as a convoy of the mercenary troops neared the region on their way to Moscow. 

"Today was not an easy day. Our team did a great, difficult job. And they did it smoothly and quickly - as it should be when you are responsible for the safety of the population," Governor Igor Artamonov said. 

"We are beginning to lift the restrictions imposed today. In the near future we will open traffic on regional roads. 

"Well, some areas have already begun to restore the roadway - it is not difficult, we'll do it quickly." 

Wagner fighters entered the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in the early hours of this morning, with UK defence intelligence saying they very likely captured its military headquarters. 

From there, the group moved to Voronzeh and reportedly took control of all military facilities in the city before continuing up the M4 highway towards Lipetsk, which is en route to Moscow.

As we've been reporting, Wagner forces in Russia are now returning to their bases after reportedly taking control of military facilities in two cities. 

The group's boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, confirmed the de-escalation in an audio message after the Belarusian president's office said a deal had been brokered. 

He launched the assault after branding the country's military top brass "evil" and arguing the Kremlin's rationale for invading Ukraine last February was based on lies. 

The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russia's war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut.

Listen to his audio message below...

While turmoil ensued in Russia, over in Ukraine Kyiv's forces managed to advance along the eastern front - according to the Ukrainian military.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy's troops made gains near the eastern city of Bakhmut - an area taken by the Wagner mercenary group - and in an area further south. 

Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said an offensive was launched near a group of villages ringing the city. 

"In all these areas, we have made advances," Ms Maliar wrote.

Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, commander of the Tavria, or southern, front, said Ukrainian forces had liberated an area near Krasnohorivka, west of the Russian-held regional centre of
Donetsk.

He said the area had been under Russian control since separatist forces backed by Moscow took control of it in 2014. 

As Russia continues to reel from a day of extraordinary events, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to protect Europe from Moscow's forces. 

In his nightly address, he said the situation in Russia shows the country is in "complete chaos" and urged the West that now is the time to provide Kyiv with weapons. 

In an apparent message to Moscow, the Ukrainian president adds: "The longer your troops stay on Ukrainian land, the more devastation they will bring to Russia. 

"The longer this person is in the Kremlin, the more disasters there will be." 

Russian defensive positions were being built on the outskirts of Moscow before Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his fighters to return to their bases, footage verified by Sky News has shown. 

The defences were being put in place around 100km from the outskirts of the city. 

Prior to Prigozhin's announcement, a convoy of his mercenary fighters were drawing closer to Russia's capital, with one expert saying there was some evidence they were just 100km away.

The defences included blocking main roads or bridges and the deployment of troops. 

Here is an example... 

"It's another extraordinary in this incredibly bizarre and unsettling for President Putin's story", says our security and defence editor Deborah Haynes. 

"The fact that you now have Yevgeny Prigozhin announcing that he is about turning and heading away from Moscow after a whole day of expectation of this convoy moving on the capital is again another extraordinary twist. 

"This man has defied his president, who has been his kind of key mentor, and also defied the Russian leaders, accusing them of killing his men, really interrupting the Russian war effort in Ukraine and instead turning his attention to Russian forces.

"You had these Wagner troops moving into a city on the border with Ukraine, taking control of that, according to the volcanic chief. 

"And then these images of this convoy heading towards the capital and President Putin being forced to come out and issue that extraordinary statement earlier today where, he accused Prigozhin of armed mutiny.

"There are criminal charges against this man, a man who has been very close to the president and was a key player in Russia's war effort.

"All of that then upended in this extraordinary row where you had Prigozhin accusing the Russian military of trying to kill his forces, accusing them of corruption, accusing them of hiding thousands of Russian dead, and saying he wouldn't stop until he had spoken to them. 

"He said this was not a military coup but at the same time we saw heightened security in Moscow.

"This whole situation has been extraordinary. You've had the Western countries including the UK watching closely... everybody says they believe this to have been the gravest threat to Vladimir Putin's rule.

"Yet now at this moment of confrontation it seems that, for whatever reason, Prigozhin has been convinced to turn back. 

"But while we are not having a crescendo moment now, this is not the end of the crisis."