Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that those who organized a rebellion among Wagner Group forces knew they were committing crimes, but he failed to address if they would face any consequences.
Putin’s remarks cap a tumultuous weekend for Russia that started late on Friday when Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin accused Russia of lying about the war in Ukraine and claimed that the Russian military had killed large numbers of his men on purpose.
Prigozhin then took his Wagner mercenaries out of Ukraine, seized a Russian military headquarters in the southern part of the country, and then advanced toward Moscow before standing down on Saturday.
During Putin’s roughly five-minute address on Monday, the Russian president praised various institutions that united to show strong resistance to the mutiny.
“This civic solidarity shows that any blackmail, any attempts to create internal turmoil are doomed to failure,” he said.
Putin said that those who were behind the mutiny “did realize that what they were doing were criminal actions aimed at weakening and splitting the country.”
“However, the organizers of this rebellion not only betrayed their country and their people, but also betrayed those whom they dragged into this mutiny and pushed to die under gunfire, killing their own kind,” he continued. “They wanted Russian soldiers to kill each other, Russian servicemen and civilians to be killed, and finally Russia to fail and our society to get splintered and drowned in a bloody domestic strife.”
Putin said those behind the mutiny had a desire for “revenge for their failure during their so-called counteroffensive” but they “miscalculated.”
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Despite the damning words from the Russian leader, Putin appeared to let large numbers of the Wagner mercenaries off the hook by portraying them as victims not responsible for their actions.
“They were used without their knowledge, against their brothers-in-arms they used to fight together with to ensure our country’s future,” he said. “This is why, from the very beginning, I made direct orders to take steps to prevent any major bloodshed. This required time. Time to give a chance to those making a mistake to change their minds. To realize that their actions are totally rejected by the people.”
Putin then offered to let them join the Russian military, law enforcement agencies, go home, or go to Belarus.
Putin made no mention of any kind of consequences that anyone would face for the rebellion.