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June 26 (UPI) — Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, stated on Monday that when his mercenaries marched on Moscow over the weekend, their intention was not to topple Russian President Vladimir Putin’s leadership.
In an 11-minute audio message shared on Monday, Prigozhin expressed his strong opposition to the decision of closing Wagner and signing military contracts by July 1.
“Our goal was never to overthrow Russia’s leadership,” stated Prigozhin in the video. He further explained, “The purpose of the march was to prevent the dissolution of Wagner and to hold accountable those officials who, through their unprofessional actions, have made numerous mistakes.”
Reportedly, Prigozhin, who is currently in Belarus, credited its President Alexander Lukashenko for playing a role in ending the brief rebellion. Lukashenko extended his support and offered ways for Wagner to continue its work legally, according to Prigozhin.
Formerly considered a part of Putin’s inner circle, Prigozhin continued to criticize the Russian military leadership, claiming that if his mercenary group had been in charge during the initial stages of the Russian invasion, the conflict would have concluded by now.
Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that Prigozhin remains under investigation for treason, despite his departure to Belarus and the Kremlin’s statement that criminal charges have been dropped. No further details were provided.
Citing a source close to the Russian state media TASS, it was mentioned that the Russian intelligence services will keep a close watch on Prigozhin while he is in Belarus and that he is unlikely to engage in any political activities. However, it is believed that his expertise may prove valuable for the establishment of a private military company in Belarus.
The Russian Defense Ministry released a video on Monday, featuring Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visiting troops involved in the war in Ukraine.
The video did not provide specific details about when or where it was recorded. If confirmed, this would mark Shoigu’s first public appearance since the rebellion.
In the past, Russian news agencies have shared prerecorded segments showing officials, including Putin, working in the Kremlin when they may be elsewhere.
The video indicated that Shoigu visited “the forward command post of one of the formations of the ‘Western’ group of troops.” It showed the defense minister traveling in a vehicle and arriving at a command post, where he received reports from officers and examined a battlefield map. The video did not include any audio.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin called for unity behind Putin following the revolt.
“The consolidation of society as a whole is of utmost importance; we need to act together, as a united team, and maintain the unity of all forces, rallying around the president,” he stated in a televised meeting.
Prigozhin, fighting on behalf of Moscow against Ukraine, has frequently criticized Russia’s military and leadership for their lack of success in Ukraine. He has also accused the Kremlin of not providing sufficient weapons to his private military organization.
During the weekend, rebel members of the Wagner Group briefly seized a city 120 miles from Moscow in protest before returning it. Meanwhile, Putin labeled Prigozhin as a traitor and arranged for the mercenary leader to be exiled to Belarus, one of Russia’s few allies in its war against Ukraine.
At the peak of the rebellion, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin imposed restrictions on Wagner Group members over the weekend, but officially lifted those restrictions on Monday.
In response to the rebellion, Russian Internet regulators blocked access to the VKontakte social network page of Concord Group, a company owned by Prigozhin. After the revolt, Roskomnadzor, the Russian federal agency responsible for controlling and censoring mass media, had blocked access to Prigozhin’s company page.
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