On the day that the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, considered that the Russian president had emerged from the Wagner group’s uprising “weakened” and was therefore “even more dangerous”, Vladimir Putin met in Moscow with the leader of the mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and three dozen of his commanders, whom the Kremlin says have sworn allegiance to him. The three-hour meeting, which has only just been revealed, took place on June 29, five days after the brief uprising that took place 200 kilometers from the Russian capital.
The fact that Prigozhin met Putin just five days after the Moscow march raises many questions. Since, if it is true that they have sworn allegiance to him, why was the meeting not announced at the time? After, why the Russian media is running a negative campaign against the leader of the Wagner group or, apparently, everything would be all right with the Kremlin? Finally, where is the agreement negotiated with the help of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko?
During the meeting, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the president made an assessment of the actions of the Wagner group in Ukraine and also of the events of the day when the mercenaries marched on Moscow. “The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened. They emphasized that they are loyal supporters and soldiers of the head of state and commander-in-chief, and also said that they are ready to continue fighting for their homeland”explained Peskov yesterday.
On the day of the uprising, Prigozhin accepted a negotiated settlement with Lukashenko’s support whereby charges against him were dropped and he would have an open door to live in Belarus with his men. In two audio messages released since then, Prigozhin said his goal was never to overthrow Putin – who even called him a “traitor” – but to defend his men. And he called for a change in Russian military leadership, targeting Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov – video of whom was released yesterday, his first public appearance since the uprising.
Prigozhin’s whereabouts remain unknown, with Lukashenko saying he was in Minsk and would later return to St Petersburg. There’s no sign of your men either.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Ukraine says it has regained control of key areas around Bakhmut – captured by Wagner Group mercenaries and handed over to Russian forces in the meantime. Five people were killed in a Russian attack on a humanitarian aid distribution station in Orikhiv, on the frontline of the Zaporizhia region, on Sunday.
Source: DN
