Prigozhin makes surprise statement while his men were just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, saying he decided to turn them back to avoid "shedding Russian blood." Kremlin says rebel leader will leave to Belarus, will have charges dropped.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk suggests that Putin made the remarks due to the upcoming trip to Israel by Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska.
Olena Zelenska will discuss post-trauma initiatives with her Israeli counterpart Michal Herzog.
Israel Hayom correspondent Neta Bar witnesses firsthand the destruction following the explosion of the Nova Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine's Kherson region.
The United Nations says at least 16,000 people have already lost their homes, and efforts are underway to provide clean water, money, and legal and emotional support to those affected.
Ukrainian authorities have previously warned that the dam’s failure could unleash 18 million cubic meters (4.8 billion gallons) of water and flood Kherson and dozens of other areas where hundreds of thousands of people live.
Earlier, Zelenskyy underlined the importance of defending Bakhmut, saying its fall could allow Moscow to rally international support for a deal that might require Kyiv to make unacceptable compromises.
The Ukrainian leader arrived on a French government plane. He is also due to attend the G7 leaders' summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima this weekend, although this could take place virtually.
The delegation is harshly criticized for meeting with Russian officials while the Kremlin is waging a war against Ukraine.
"The enemy's targets are the places where we live. Their targets are our lives and the lives of our children," Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said
