2023-06-26 21:27:14
Yesterday, 21:36
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin thanked the Russian security forces and the population for their support after the revolt of Wagner’s private army was crushed. “I thank all the soldiers, employees of the secret services, who stood in the way of the insurgents,” Putin said in a speech broadcast on state television on Monday. At his command, everything was done to prevent bloodshed. “It took time,” Putin said. “The armed uprising would have been crushed that way.”
If mercenaries and regular troops had fired at each other, it would have benefited Kiev and the West in particular, Putin said. There they had already hoped that Russia would tear itself apart. But Russian society has shown itself to be united in its opposition to the uprising. In the end, the revolutionaries would have recognized this and given up.
After the confusing weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the population on Monday evening.
Photo: Russian Presidential Office via AP/Keystone (June 26, 2023)
In his speech, Putin tried to maintain the impression that the power and security organs were capable of acting. He commended the courage and self-sacrifice of Russian pilots who were killed while confronting the insurgents. It was the first time that the Russian leadership had thus acknowledged casualties during the uprising.
An offer and thanks to Lukashenko
At the same time, the 70-year-old made an offer to the Wagner fighters. They had been misused for an individual’s personal goals and ambitions, but had already proven their patriotism in the past. He offered the fighters to serve in the Russian Armed Forces. Any attempt to create chaos in Russia is doomed to fail, the president stressed. “The organizers of the uprising, who betrayed the country, also betrayed those who were on their side,” Putin said.
He also thanked Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko for mediating in the conflict with Wagner boss Prigozhin. His ex-confidant Prigozhin is said to have found refuge in Belarus after he gave up the march on Moscow on Saturday. Other Wagner fighters could do the same. Putin stressed that his offer of amnesty was valid.
Before the speech, many political observers had expected the dismissal of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who had been criticized for months for the failure of the aggressive war against Ukraine and also had nothing to counter Prigozhin’s uprising. But despite the criticism, Putin stuck to Shoigu – at least for the time being – also because he is considered a personal confidant of the Kremlin boss. (SDA)
Article on the subject:
Russia after the attempted coup: The Kremlin is trying its best to pretend that nothing happened
Sergei Shoigu after the Wagner uprising: How bad is Russia’s defense minister?
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