President Putin outlines options for Wagner soldiers after rebellion

Russian president gives Wagner soldiers options in first speech since rebellion ended.

"I thank the soldiers and commanders of Wagner for choosing the right option of stopping at the last line, not allowing fratricide and bloodshed," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a five-minute speech on the night of June 26.

Mr Putin gave Wagner members several options: "continue to serve the country by signing a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense or another law enforcement agency, return to family and friends or go to Belarus if they want."

"Russia's enemies want fratricide to break out, including the neo-Nazis in Kiev and their Western patrons, as well as traitors to the country. They want Russian soldiers to kill each other," Mr. Putin said.

President Putin declared that Wagner's rebellion last weekend "would have been suppressed anyway", but he chose what he considered the optimal option to "avoid serious bloodshed".

"All sides need time, especially for those who made mistakes to wake up and realize that their behavior is not acceptable to society, that such adventurous actions only bring catastrophic consequences and destroy the country," Mr. Putin said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks from the Kremlin in Moscow on the night of June 26 about the Wagner rebellion. Photo: AFP — Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Kremlin on June 26. Photo: *AFP*

"The organizers of the rebellion betrayed the country and the people, lured their comrades into committing crimes, deceived them and drove them to death," President Putin said, but did not directly mention Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner group and the commander of the troops involved in the June 24 rebellion.

The Russian President affirmed that all sectors of Russian society in the recent event showed a resolute stance in support of the constitutional order, and at the same time commented that the riot made Russian people more united and more responsible for the country.

"I am grateful to all military personnel, law enforcement agencies and special forces, especially those who participated in the counter-insurgency operation," Putin said. "The courage and selfless sacrifice of the fallen heroic pilots helped protect Russia from a terrible tragedy."

President Putin's speech came hours after Prigozhin also spoke for the first time since the riots. Wagner reiterated that the June 24 events were a "protest" and denied accusations of plotting to overthrow the government.

President Joe Biden said on June 26 that it was too early to judge how the situation regarding the Wagner rebellion would develop in the future, but affirmed that the US would ensure that "our allies and partners are closely aligned in monitoring and responding to the situation."

Mr Biden also said it was necessary to ensure Russia had no reason to blame the West or NATO. "We have made it clear that we had nothing to do with the rebellion," Mr Biden said, describing it as an internal Russian matter.

Thousands of Wagner troops entered Russian territory on June 24 after Prigozhin accused Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu of directing the attack on the corporation's barracks, causing heavy casualties. The Russian Defense Ministry denied this information.

Wagner marched 780 km in almost a day, capturing military bases in the southern Russian cities of Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh. When he was about 200 km from Moscow, Prigozhin decided to withdraw his troops to avoid bloodshed, after reaching an agreement with the Kremlin through the intermediary of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Russian news agencies said the investigation into Prigozhin by security agencies has not been closed, even though boss Wagner has reached an agreement with the Kremlin.