Rebel Russian mercenaries return to base under deal ending advance on Moscow

The Wagner Group ended the rebellion in return for guarantees for their safety, their leader Yevginy Prigozhin is to move to Belarus

Heavily armed Russian mercenaries withdrew from the southern Russian city of Rostov overnight under a deal that defused an unprecedented challenge to the authority of President Vladimir Putin and halted their rapid advance on Moscow.

Fighters of the Wagner group returned to their bases in return for guarantees for their safety and the leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus, according to the agreement mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

However, the aborted mutiny raises big questions about Putin's grip on a country he has ruled with an iron hand for more than two decades. Italy's foreign minister said it had shattered the "myth" of Russian unity.

Prigozhin, 62, a former Putin ally whose forces have fought the bloodiest battles of the 16-month war in Ukraine, said his decision to advance on Moscow was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war.

He was seen leaving the district military headquarters in Rostov hundreds of miles south of Moscow-late on Saturday in a sport utility vehicle. His whereabouts on Sunday were not immediately clear.

Videos shared on social media from Rostov overnight purportedly showed the mercenaries withdrawing from the city in a convoy of armoured vehicles, tanks and coaches to the sound of cheers, chants of "Wagner" and celebratory gunfire from local residents.

The show of support for Wagner's short-lived insurrection will alarm the authorities in a country which has become increasingly intolerant of any public criticism of Putin and his rule.