Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Wagner Group mercenary boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin and 35 of his commanders on June 29 in Moscow, five days after Wagner’s brief mutiny aimed at ousting the country’s top military officials, who were criticized by Prigozhin for botching the invasion of Ukraine.
English
Kremlin Reports Putin’s Meeting with Prigozhin, Leader of Wagner Group, Following Unsuccessful Mutiny
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“The president listened to the commanders’ explanations and offered them options for further employment options and combat application,” Peskov said, without offering more detail.
“The commanders presented their version of what had happened. They emphasized that they were staunch supporters and soldiers of the leader and Supreme Commander-in-Chief and said they were ready to continue fighting for the Motherland,” he added.
Prigozhin returned to Russia last week, according to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a Putin ally. A businessman in St. Petersburg, Prigozhin’s hometown, said the Wagner leader had returned to reclaim money and weapons seized by the Russian government.
The mercenary group’s future remained unclear. The June 29 meeting suggests the conditions of the initial deal brokered by Lukashenko, which allowed Prigozhin and Wagner to go unpunished after they stopped the “march of justice” on Moscow, were still being hammered out. In messages posted shortly after their retreat, Prigozhin said his conflict with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, particularly the decision to absorb Wagner into the regular army, was the catalyst for the rebellion.
