Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin smiles in selfies as he leaves Russia

Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin posed for smiling selfies in Russia Saturday as he was forced into exile — just hours after the rebel mercenary boss brought the country to the brink of civil war.

Prigozhin’s short-lived rebellion ended suddenly late Saturday with his retreat to Belarus — and he posed for photos with roadside civilians along the way. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced Saturday Prigozhin would be exiled to Russian-aligned Belarus, with any charges against him for the foiled armed revolt being dropped in exchange. 

Prigozhin’s mercenaries had been fighting in Ukraine alongside Russian soldiers.

He ordered them back to their field camps after the rebellion’s abrupt end. 

Wagner Group’s mercenary troops would also not be prosecuted, the Kremlin said, while those who refused to partake in the coup attempt would be offered Defense Ministry contracts. 

Prigozhin’s revolt began after what he said was a Russian military attack targeting his troops’ camps in Ukraine Friday with gun- and artillery fire and rockets. 

He accused Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, of calling for the attacks on his troops after conspiring with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to eliminate the mercenary group.  

Russia’s Defense Ministry denied doing so.

Despite his claims, US spies gathered intelligence showing Prigozhin had long been preparing for an uprising. 

The brutal mercenary leader had spent months leading up to the revolt railing against the Russian army leadership.

In May, Prigozhin hurled profanities at Shoigu and Gerasimov in a grisly video showing what he claimed were the corpses of his fighters.

“Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the f—ing ammunition?!” he demands in the clip while standing in front of about 30 blood-soaked uniformed corpses lying on the ground.

“These are someone’s fathers and someone’s sons,” Prigozhin says, pointing at the bodies. “The bastards that don’t give us ammunition will eat their f—ing guts in hell!”

Earlier this month, he blasted Russia’s top military brass as “clowns who turn people into meat.”

“If the whole chain [of command] is 100% failed and will only be led by clowns who turn people into meat, then we will not participate in it,” Prigozhin said, as he threatened to pull his soldiers from the war in Ukraine.

Prigozhin demanded Shoigu be removed from his post as he and his forces advanced upon Moscow Saturday, making it just 120 miles from the city before announcing the retreat.  

As of Sunday, it was unclear if or when Prigozhin has arrived in Belarus. 

With Post wires