Putin reportedly blinks, leaves Moscow on presidential plane as Wagner group advanced

According to reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin fled from Moscow on his presidential plane Saturday as the soldiers of the famed Wagner Group of mercenaries marched on the city.

The New York Post reported that Putin was seen flying to St. Petersburg from Moscow before his plane disappeared from radar.

A spokesperson for Putin issued a denial that Putin fled, saying that he had not left Moscow and was "working at the Kremlin."

The group got within 200 kilometers of Moscow before a deal to stop them was brokered by President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus.

The Wagner Group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will be allowed to go to Belarus and will not face criminal charges under the deal.

Despite the mutiny failing to succeed, it dealt a severe blow to Russia and Putin, showing that he may not be as strong as many had thought.