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Russian President Vladimir Putin has paid tribute to the fallen heroes-pilots in his first public address since the mutiny led by Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin over the weekend. Putin confirmed earlier reports that Russian jets had been downed and pilots killed by Wagner’s mercenaries.
In his address Monday, Putin said the vast majority of Wagner fighters were patriots and would be allowed to move to neighboring Belarus as promised if they chose not to sign up to the Russian army or go home. But he lashed out at the organizers of the rebellion for betraying Russia, without directly naming Prigozhin. Putin had initially enlisted the Wagner Group to help him in the invasion of Ukraine.
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