Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters surged most of the way to Moscow before their leader said they had agreed to turn back to avoid bloodshed. Here is a timeline of events as they have unfolded over the last 24 hours.
FRIDAY
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the private army called Wagner, releases a video stepping up his feud with Russia鈥檚 military top brass and for the first time rejects President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 core justification for invading Ukraine.
鈥 In a series of subsequent audio recordings posted on Telegram, Prigozhin says the 鈥渆vil鈥 of Russia鈥檚 military leadership 鈥渕ust be stopped鈥 and his Wagner mercenary force will lead a 鈥渕arch for justice鈥 against the Russian military.
鈥 Russia鈥檚 FSB security service responds by opening a criminal case against Prigozhin, saying he has called for armed mutiny.
鈥 The deputy commander of Russia鈥檚 Ukraine campaign, General Sergei Surovikin, urges the Wagner militia to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases.
SATURDAY
鈥 Prigozhin says his men have crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to go 鈥渁ll the way鈥 against the Russian military.
鈥 Wagner fighters have entered the southern Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin says in an audio recording posted on Telegram.
鈥 The White House says it is monitoring the situation involving Russia and the Wagner force, and will be consulting with allies and partners on developments.
鈥 The governor of southern Russia鈥檚 Rostov region adjoining Ukraine tells residents to remain calm and stay indoors as it becomes clear that Wagner forces have taken control of the city of Rostov.
鈥 Russian鈥檚 Defense Ministry issues a statement appealing to Wagner fighters to abandon Prigozhin, saying they have been 鈥渄eceived and dragged into a criminal adventure鈥.
鈥 A Russian security source tells Reuters Wagner fighters have taken control of all military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km (300 miles) south of Moscow.
鈥 Putin makes a televised address vowing to crush what he calls an armed mutiny. He accuses Prigozhin of 鈥渢reason鈥 and a 鈥渟tab in the back鈥.
鈥 Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin ally, says his forces are ready to help put down the revolt by Prigozhin and to use harsh methods if necessary.
鈥 European governments including Britain, France, Germany and Italy issue statements saying they are closely watching developments in Russia. During the day, numerous other governments around the world issue similar statements.
鈥 Russian military helicopters open fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than half way towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing Rostov overnight.
鈥 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says 鈥淩ussia鈥檚 weakness is obvious鈥 and the longer Moscow keeps its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine, the more chaos it will invite back home.
鈥 Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia鈥檚 SVR foreign intelligence service, says it is clear that Prigozhin鈥檚 attempt to destabilise society and ignite a fratricidal civil war has failed, the TASS news agency reports.
鈥 Russian soldiers set up a machine gun position on the southwest edge of Moscow, according to photographs published by the Vedomosti newspaper.
Photographs also show armed police gathering at the point where the M4 highway 鈥 which mutinous Wagner mercenaries are moving along 鈥 reaches the Russian capital.
鈥 President Tayyip Erdogan speaks by telephone with Putin and urges him to act with common sense, the Turkish presidency says.
Belarus issues a statement reaffirming its alliance with Russia.
鈥 The White House says U.S. President Joe Biden has spoken with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and that they have affirmed their support for Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also says he has spoken with G7 foreign ministers and the European Union high representative for foreign affairs.
鈥 Putin signs a law permitting 30-day detentions for breaking martial law in places where it has been imposed, the RIA news agency reports.
鈥 Wagner mercenaries have been promised an amnesty if they lay down their weapons 鈥渂ut they should do it fast鈥, the TASS news agency cites lawmaker Pavel Krasheninnikov as saying.
鈥 Russia鈥檚 Foreign Ministry issues a statement warning Western countries against using the Wagner group鈥檚 mutiny 鈥渢o achieve their Russophobic goals鈥.
鈥 The office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says he has brokered a deal with Prigozhin who has agreed to de-escalate the situation.
鈥 Prigozhin says he has ordered his fighters advancing on Moscow in convoy to turn around and return to their bases to avoid bloodshed.
RELATED STORIES