Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the leadership of the Wagner private military company (PMC) in the Kremlin five days after an attempted coup, according to Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary of the President of Russia, RIA News has reported.
"Yes, the president had such a meeting. He invited 35 people to it, including all the commanders of the units and the company's management, including Prigozhin himself. This meeting took place in the Kremlin on June 29 and lasted almost three hours," he told journalists.
Peskov stated that during the event, Putin "assessed the company's actions on the front lines during the Syrian conflict and also gave his assessment of the events on June 24. He listened to the explanations of the commanders and offered them further options for employment."
"They emphasized that they are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the supreme commander-in-chief," added the Kremlin representative. When asked if representatives of the Ministry of Defense were present at the meeting, Peskov replied that he had "nothing more to say about this meeting."
On the night of June 24, forces from the Wagner PMC seized the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don. This occurred after statements from entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin alleging that Russian armed forces had carried out missile and bomb strikes on Wagner PMC camps, which were denied by both the Ministry of Defense and the FSB.
Putin referred to the actions of the insurgents as a criminal adventure and betrayal, resulting from excessive ambitions and personal interests.
Later, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in agreement with his Russian counterpart, held talks with Prigozhin. Subsequently, the press service of the Belarusian leader announced that the head of the PMC had accepted the proposal to halt Wagner's activities on Russian territory and take further steps towards de-escalation.
Putin offered the Wagner fighters the option to continue their service by signing contracts with the Ministry of Defense or other security forces, emphasizing that they could also return home or "go to Belarus." Lukashenko confirmed Prigozhin's arrival on Belarusian territory on June 27, but on July 6, he announced that the founder of Wagner was already in St. Petersburg.
Amidst these events, a criminal case was initiated against Prigozhin for organizing an armed coup. However, the Federal Security Service (FSB) later terminated the investigation, as "the participants in the coup ceased their actions directly aimed at committing a crime."
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