unfolding.
Update viewers on the very
latest resident doesn't end of
it make a lot of sense.
What we know now is that
prigoshin has agreed to turn
around his columns on the way to
Moscow and they've gone back to
field camps.
We've seen video of some of
those Wagner fighters leaving
the voronezh hold, and indeed
pictured in an SUV wearing a
baseball cap in that city.
Seems driving out and being
cheered by locals.
So that answer's one question
the Kremlin wasn't able to
answer him.
Where is prigoshin?
He seems to be leaving the
Kremlin offering elaborate
solutions how the day finally
came to an end.
In their statements they think
yevgeny prigozhin is bound for
Belarus.
Interestingly, Belarus's
president stepped forward and
Russian state media suggested he
played a role as intermediary
getting yevgeny prigozhin to
agree to stand down at the
behest of Vladimir Putin.
We also know that the Wagner
fighters involved in this
particular March on Moscow, as
it's being termed by some, they
will not face prosecution.
The Kremlin saying their bravery
on front line has been
recognized, and those who would
not involved in the March could,
in fact, join the Russian
ministry of defense.
So an utterly bizarre sudden
180.
Yevgeny prigozhin his own
suggestion 125 miles outside the
outskirts of the capital city
unimpeded, frankly, all that
way.
Catching helicopter on that main
highway, suddenly decides to
change his mind and then,
according to the Kremlin now
part of a deal where hall agreed
to go to exile in Belarus and be
done with it all without facing
prosecution.
An utterly baffling turn of
events here.
Vladimir Putin began the day
angrily denouncing and armed
insurrection, blackmail,
terrorist methods and now
appears to have struck a deal
with prigoshin who will
essentially, seems, if it's
really the case, the Kremlin's
events will go into effect, now
safe in Belarus.
It will have an impact on
Russians on the front lines,
Wagner key fighters there
certainly.
I have to tell you, wolf, feels
like we're missing key facts.
Like we're missing something in
negotiations with prigoshin or
something in his calculations.
Just a long-planned effort go
too frighteningly well and found
himself too close to Moscow
decided to pull back?
Something else gone on we're not
aware of?
Doesn't really make sense at
this particular stage but it
doesn't embarrass the Kremlin
showing that Vladimir Putin is
not the all-powerful man in
Russia it heard to be more of
24 hours ago, wolf.
>> As you say, utterly bizarre
and clearly Putin is vulnerable
right now.
Nick pating wall be reporting.
Stay with us.
Going to our chief national
security correspondent Jim
sciutto joining us live now.
New reporting, I understand,
what U.S. Intelligence actually
knew leading up to these truly
extraordinary and historic
events.
>> Reporter: That's right, wolf.
U.S. Western intelligence
partners watching Russia closely
for some time, but in reasons
days they had detected
preparations.
They believed prigoshin was
making preparations and planning
for a major challenge to Russian
military leadership in recent
days and weeks.
They were surprised by the speed
of his operation in the last 24
hours, but were not surprised
that this challenge had taken
place.
They'd seen a number of
preparations in leadup to this.
Massing of weapons.
Contacts with regular Russian
army units and then, of course,
his very public statements
critical of Russian military
leadership and right up to
Vladimir Putin in recent days
and weeks as well.
They saw all of those signals,
and saw those as preparations
for some serious challenge to
Russian military leadership
which is what we seem to have
seen play out over these
tumultuous last 24 hours.
I will say during that time
frame another thing they were
watching closely as prigoshin
marched his forces first to
rostov and further towards
Moscow was how much or how many
Russian regular army units would
join him in that.
Early on, as we were discussing
earlier in the day, they noticed
that many Russian units did not
seem to be challenging
prigoshin's advance.
Though not perhaps joining him.
At least not challenging him,
letting him pass by.
What isn't clear is there was a
critical mass of other forces
joining him in this challenge
here, and that could have been
influential factor in what we've
seen just in the last couple of
hours there.
A reversal by prigoshin and his
forces and now seeing them
leave, head back to their camps,
to their bases.
>> Very important, indeed.
Jim sciutto reporting for us.
Thank you.
>>> CNN's Ben wedeman also is
tracking what's going on and
getting reaction from inside
Ukraine.
He's live in zaporizhzhia in the
war zone in Ukraine and joining
us right now.
Ben what are you learning?
What's the situation there?
>> Reporter: Well, I must say,
wolf, it has been a long,
strange day.
This morning everyone learned at
7:30 A.M. Local time that
prigoshin and his men appeared
to have seized some critical
military facilities in southern
Russia.
It seemed that perhaps Russia
was on the brink of something
huge.
Ukrainian officials started
talking about perhaps this is
the beginning of the collapse of
the Russian state.
Perhaps the beginning of a civil
war.
Even president zelenskyy and in
his nightly address to the
nation said, suggested that
perhaps Vladimir Putin was on
the run.
>> Ben wedeman reporting from
zaporizhzhia in Ukraine.
Ben, thank you very much.
Stay safe over there, as I say
to you every day.
CNN of Nick paton Walsh is back
and bringing in retired Wesley
Clark, retired colonel Cedric
Leighton both CNN military
analysts.
General Clark, Moscow was
bracing for a potential Wagner
assault.
No doubt about that.
Now the Kremlin struck a deal
with prigoshin.
What's your reaction to these
late-breaking developments?
>> I agree with what was said.
We don't have all the facts.
Missing facts.
Don't add up, number one, do we
really know there was a rocket
strike on prigoshin's troops?
Don't really flow that.
Seen video but no evidence of
that.
We no tactical nuclear weapons
supposedly moved into Belarus.
Is it possible this is a mass
raid of distraction to be able
toll redeploy the Wagner group
troops into Belarus?
We don't know that and don't
really understand the essence of
the deal.
So there's a lot of facts here
that don't make sense, but it
doesn't seem to prigoshin is the
kind of person who would have
lost something like this,
prepared for it, and then
suddenly just decide, well, I
don't seem to have the troops
aboard.
I think I'll cut a deal and go
into exile in Belarus.
This is a man who controls
Syria.
He's got troops all over Africa.
He's bringing in gold, he's
worth a lot of money.
There's a lot, a lot more here
we're not seeing yet.
>> I suspect you're absolutely
right.
Corner Leighton, new video of
prigoshin supposedly leaving a
military headquarters with
crowds cheering him.
Does Putin still see prigoshin
as a threat, as long as
prigoshin is still alive?
>> Well, that, I think, is one
possibility, wolf.
That he is still a threat to
this -- agree with general
Clark.
One of the most bizarre
situations that we've dealt with
in a long time.
I know the other possibility is
that this is a huge masquerade
staged for everybody's benefit
to get them to believe that
something is going on when it
really isn't, and that's I think
one of the possibilities, and
going to Belarus has to be
considered, redeploying within
Ukraine to another area that is
perhaps weaker now because of
some other things.
That's also possible.
So there are a lot of things
that could still happen.
He could still be considered a