Putin Speaks Publicly for 1st Time Since Wagner Mutiny Ended

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Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged in a televised address that the leaders of the Wagner rebellion would be brought to justice, in Putinโ€™s first public comments since the mutiny by the mercenary group ended in an uncertain truce on June 24.

Putinโ€™s remarks on June 26 were his first since a fiery speech several days ago while the apparent rebellion was still playing out and in which the Russian leader called the Wagner chiefโ€™s actions a โ€œstab in the backโ€ and pledged to crush what he described as a โ€œrebellion.โ€

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner leader, on June 24 ordered his fast-advancing troops to stand down and return to base as part of a reported deal in which criminal charges against him would be dropped as he agreed to go into exile in neighboring Belarus.

But in his speech on June 26, Putin appeared to take aim at the Wagner chief while denouncing the leaders of the rebellion and their โ€œcriminal activity that aims at weakening the countryโ€ while vowing to bring โ€œorganizers of this rebellion to justice.โ€

Putinโ€™s remarks appear to run counter to earlier reports that criminal charges against Prigozhin would be dropped.

The Russian leader added that โ€œany attempts to stir unrest are doomed to fail,โ€ while claiming that the rebellion would have been thwarted before it reached Moscow as the Kremlin was ready and had made all โ€œnecessary decisions to neutralize the threat.โ€

Putin said most of the Wagner fighters were patriots and that โ€œby turning back, they avoided further bloodshed.โ€

He added that he would let Wagner fighters relocate to Belarus if they wished, sign contracts with the defense ministry, or simply return to their families.

Ahead of Putinโ€™s much-anticipated speech, speculation swirled around whether the Kremlinโ€“Wagner truce would hold as the mercenary groupโ€™s exiled leader issued a statement insisting he wasnโ€™t trying to oust Putin, while Western officials questioned whether another act is yet to play out in the dramatic saga.

Byย Tom Ozimek

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