Russia might be going through its largest political crisis in decades, but the mood in Moscow was calm Saturday, with cafes busy and few visible signs of panic on a warm summer day.
Security was tightened in the city centre, with armed men in flak jackets guarding the parliament building and Red Square closed off to the public.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that "anti-terror" measures were under way, but tourists and Muscovites strolled freely in the city centre. Some people bought fresh strawberries and ice cream, others walked their dogs.
The rebel Wagner mercenary force threatened to march on Moscow before announcing a stunning pull-back Saturday.
Beforehand, some Russians said they were hoping the country's army would put down what authorities called an armed rebellion and protect them from ragtag forces of the mercenary group whose chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had vowed to topple the military leadership.
Wagner forces captured a key military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and looked set to advance on Moscow Saturday.
But in a surprise announcement Saturday evening, Prigozhin said his troops were turning back to avoid spilling blood.