Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accused those responsible for last weekend’s rebellion of being traitors, saying their actions only benefited Ukraine and its allies.
In a five-minute speech, broadcast on Russian television around midnight (10:00 p.m. in Lisbon), Putin accused those responsible for the revolt of trying to force the mercenaries of the Wagner Group to “shoot their own”, in reference to to the soldiers of the Russian army.
Without referring to the leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian head of state said that “the enemies of Russia” expected the armed rebellion to divide and weaken the country, “but they miscalculated.”
Despite the appearance, in videos posted on social networks, of the population’s support for the revolt, Putin assured that Russia remains united and praised the mercenaries for having avoided “bloodshed”.
Hours earlier, the Russian president had addressed the Wagner Group mercenaries directly, offering them the chance to sign a contract with the army and “return to their families and loved ones” or “leave for Belarus.”
Putin also held a “working meeting” with state security officials, whom he thanked for their work during the Wagner Group rebellion.
The US president, Joe Biden, assured this Monday that his country and NATO had no participation in the rebellion in Russia of the mercenary forces of the Wagner Group.
Biden confirmed that he had a video call with allies over the weekend and that they all agree on the need not to give the Russian president “an excuse to blame the West” or NATO for the rebellion.
In the 24-hour armed rebellion, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, mercenaries seized the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, advancing up to 200 kilometers from Moscow.
The rebellion ended with an agreement brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, which, according to the Kremlin, establishes that Prigozhin go into exile in Belarus, in exchange for immunity for himself and his mercenaries.
Yevgeny Prigozhin justified this Monday the “rebellion” of the group in the need to “save” the organization, denied having attempted a coup and added that 30 of his mercenaries died in clashes with Russian soldiers.
“The purpose of the march was to prevent the destruction of the Wagner Group,” Prigozhin said in an 11-minute audio message, breaking the silence he had maintained since Saturday when he withdrew from the “march on Moscow.” without revealing where he is, although the Kremlin granted the leader of the paramilitary organization the possibility of moving to Belarus.
According to Prigozhin, the Wagner group “was threatened to dismantle it by” the Russian authorities.
Source: TSF
