Russian President Vladimir Putin says the organisers of an armed mutiny over the weekend will be “brought to justice” and that his military would have put down the rebellion anyway.
The Russian president’s comments were his first since hundreds of Wagner Group mercenaries, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, marched on Moscow over the weekend in what appeared to be an armed rebellion against Russia’s military leadership.
In exchange for halting his march on Moscow and turning his troops back, a criminal case against Mr Prigozhin was dropped and he was permitted to leave Russia for Belarus.
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After they took control of the southern city of Rostov last Saturday, Wagner fighters and hundreds of armoured vehicles came within 200 miles of Moscow before Mr Prigozhin ordered them to turn back.
In his speech yesterday, President Putin thanked those involved in the mutiny, saying they made the only right decision by not going to fratricidal bloodshed and stopping at the last line.
He went on to say Wagner Group soldiers will be permitted to join the Russian army, to leave the country for neighbouring Belarus, or simply to return to their family and friends.
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