(NEWSnet/AP) — A challenge in Russian President Vladimir Putin's leadership has ended after the mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow reached a deal with the Kremlin and agreed to exile.

The brief revolt and abrupt deal exposed vulnerabilities among Russian government forces, with Wagner Group soldiers under the command of Yevgeny Prigozhin able to move into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and advance hundreds of miles toward Moscow.

The Russian military prepared to defend its capital.

Under the deal announced Saturday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin will go to neighboring Belarus, which has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Charges against him of mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped.

The government also said it would not prosecute Wagner fighters who participated, and those who did not join in were to be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry.

Prigozhin ordered his troops, many of whom had been fighting alongside Russian regular soldiers in Ukraine, back to their field camps.

By Sunday morning there were still no reports of Prigozhin arriving in Belarus. Many other questions remained unanswered, including whether Prigozhin would be joined in exile by any of Wagner’s troops and what role, if any, he might have there.

Also on on Sunday morning some restrictions remained in place along the main highway between Moscow and Rostov-on-Don though traffic restrictions were gradually being lifted elsewhere.

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