Up until three days ago, there was one thing that every Russia expert could agree on.

President Vladimir Putin was an extraordinarily cany-operator with an iron grip on power.

But on Friday night, that began to unravel, and the Kremlin was in for a shock.

There's a pretty wild situation folding in Russia's night.

If Guinea-Pregozion, the head of a Russian-affiliated mercenary group,

appeared to release a video on social media accusing Russian military leaders

of misleading the country.

And these accusations that Pregozion has been leveling at the Kremlin,

particularly at the Defense Minister,

appears that these long brewing tensions are now turning into something of an insurrection.

Security is being ramped up in Russian cities and mid-reports of an armed rebellion.

Authorities in the Russian capital Moscow have declared a counterterrorism state of emergency.

The Kremlin is urging fighters in the Wagner group to abandon their leader.

This crowd is shouting Wagner, the name of the mercenary group that Vladimir Putin had accused

of treason only hours earlier. The fighters were clearly among friends here.

And then, on Saturday evening, with the mercenaries moving towards Moscow,

there was another unexpected plot twist.

President Putin was facing the biggest threat to his authority since coming to power over 20 years ago.

But then this evening, there was a sudden change, and the crisis seemed to be over.

After a deal was struck, which enabled the rebellious leader to retreat.

Yvgeny Pregozion, the head of the Wagner-mercery group,

is going into exile in Belarus after abandoning his advance on Moscow.

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