Russian President Vladimir Putin says those who orchestrated
the Wagner Group’s rebellion against the federation will face justice.
Putin spoke on Monday confirming reports that Yevgeny
Prigozhin, leader of the mercenary group, would face charges despite a previous
“pardon” by the Russian government.
On Sunday, after leading his troops halfway to Moscow, the
Russian capital, Prigozhin asked them to retreat and return to base to avoid
spilling blood.
The Wagner leader was on his way to topple the country’s
military leaders and exact revenge for their ambush which killed “scores of his
men”.
Putin said Prigozhin’s actions were a “stab in the back”,
adding that Russia would take “brutal” actions to eliminate the threat
that the Wagner group had become.
Prior to his announcements, criminal charges against the
Wagner leader who was a former ally of Putin, for organising an armed mutiny
were filed by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
However, after his retreat, Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s
spokesperson, said Prigozhin’s charges would be dropped and that he would move
to Belarus.
Peskov said the conditions were part of a deal brokered by
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to end the Wagner rebellion.
In a turn of events on Monday, TASS, Russian-state media,
reported that a source in the prosecutor general’s office said the
investigation against the Wagner leader has not been closed, adding that it was
too soon to make such a decision.
PUTIN SAYS PERPETRATORS WILL FACE JUSTICE
In an address a few hours later, Putin said the rebellion
was “criminal activity which is aimed at weakening the country”.
He said “any kind of blackmail is doomed to fail” and that
the mutiny leaders “wanted our society to be fragmented”.
“The uprising was doomed to fail and its organisers, even
though they lost their sense of right and wrong, couldn’t have failed to
realise that,” he added.
The Russian leader said the entirety of Russian society was
united by its responsibility to defend their homeland which contributed to the
ousting of the mercenary group.
Putin also thanked Wagner officials who “took the right
decision to stop and go back to prevent bloodshed”.
He added that most Wagner mercenaries are “patriots” who
were “used” by organisers of the rebellion and provided them with three options.
“Today you have the opportunity to continue serving Russia
by entering into a contract with the Ministry of Defence or other law
enforcement agencies, or to return to your family and friends,” he said.
“The choice is yours, but I am sure it will be the choice of
Russian soldiers who have realised their tragic mistake.
“The organisers of this rebellion will be brought to
justice.”
Putin claimed Ukraine was involved in the weekend’s events
and called the turmoil “revenge for their failed counteroffensive”.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com