On June 29, Vladimir Putin met with the leader of the paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigoyine, in the Kremlin, a few days after his failed uprising, the Russian presidency announced on Monday, July 10.
The meeting lasted “nearly three hours”said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, adding that 35 people were affected, including “all the commanders and leaders” of the Wagner group.
“The President (Russian) appreciated the activities“of Wagner on the Ukrainian front, stated Dmitry Peskov, as well as “his appreciation of the events of June 24”, the date of the group’s uprising.
Vladimir Putin “listened to the explanations of the commanders (from Wagner) and offered them alternatives for their future work and their use for military purposes,” said the spokesman for the Russian President.
“Convinced Supporters”
“The commanders (von Wagner) gave their version of the facts. They stressed that they were staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and Commander-in-Chief (Vladimir Putin) and reiterated that they are ready to continue fighting for the homeland,” he continued.
The Kremlin responded to an article in French daily Libération, published on Friday, July 7, which confirmed, based on Western intelligence sources, that Evguéni Prigojine was being held in the Kremlin, where he was being summoned along with his main commanders.
Wagner’s June 24 uprising shook Russian power amid conflict in Ukraine.
For several hours, Wagner’s fighters occupied a Russian army headquarters in Rostov-on-Don (southwest) and traveled several hundred kilometers towards Moscow.
The mutiny ended on the evening of June 24 with an agreement that provided for Mr. Prigozhin’s departure to Belarus, but his exact whereabouts have remained unknown ever since. He has not spoken publicly since June 26.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said last Thursday that Yevgeny Prigoyine is still “free” in Russia, although the agreement provided for his departure to Belarus.
Yevgeny Prigoyine assured that his uprising took place did not aim to overthrow powerbut to protect Wagner from being dismantled by the Russian general staff, whom he had accused of severe incompetence in the Ukraine conflict for months.
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