2023-06-27 03:57:24
Article related informationCorrespondents, James Gregory and Sarah Rainsford, BBC News
19 minutes ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his first public address since the uprising on the 26th (local time), accused the rebel leaders of wanting “to suffocate Russia in a bloody conflict”.
On the 24th (local time), Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, a private Russian mercenary company, rebelled and seized one of Russia’s major cities and tried to advance north to Moscow, but he canceled it after 24 hours.
In this brief speech full of vitriol, Putin vowed to ensure that the leaders of the rebellion “will be brought to justice.”
Nonetheless, Wagner mercenaries who were transferred to the Russian regular army, headed to Belarus or returned to Russia were called “patriots”.
The Wagner Group is a private mercenary group fighting alongside the Russian regular army in the Ukraine War.
In this speech, President Putin did not directly mention Prigozhin’s name.
Meanwhile, prior to President Putin’s speech on the same day (26th), Prigozhin posted an 11-minute voice message on Telegram, stating that the goal of the armed rebellion was not to overthrow the regime.
It is said that they rebelled against the government’s plan to directly control the Wagner group.
In fact, earlier this month, Russian authorities ordered “volunteer organizations” such as the Wagner group to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense, which effectively meant that the military would absorb the Wagner group, which would undermine Prigozhin’s influence within the group.
Prigozhin also claimed that the rebellion was motivated by a protest against mistakes made by defense ministry officials during the war in Ukraine. He emphasized that the Wagner group had always acted only in the interests of Russia.
This audio message is the first comment made by Prigozin since they agreed to call off the rebellion.
It was previously reported that Prigozhin had agreed to cancel the rebellion and go to Belarus in exchange for the Russian Kremlin dropping all charges against him. However, Russian state media, citing government officials, reported that Prigozhin was still under investigation.
In the voice message, Prigozhin said that he had turned back “so as not to shed the blood of Russian soldiers”, adding that some Russians were disappointed that the advance of Wagner’s group had stalled. At the same time, he repeatedly emphasized that he had no intention of overthrowing the Russian regime formed by elections.
On the other hand, it is not clear where Prigojin is currently staying and what kind of steps he will take in the future because it was only delivered through audio without video.
picture explanation,
Evgeny Prigozhin
Meanwhile, President Putin, in a brief address to the nation, said that the ringleaders of this incident “will be judged by the law,” and that his old colleague Prigozhin had struck Russia in the back.
The rebellion hurt Putin’s leadership, and amid comments that the Kremlin’s reaction to the Wagner group was weak, President Putin seemed to be trying to regain his authority through this speech.
In the brief, pre-recorded speech, President Putin maintained an angry tone throughout, and his lips twitched.
At the same time, President Putin wanted to convey the message that those who organized the rebellion were traitors to the country and people, leading to bloodshed and division, and eventually acting like enemies of Russia.
At the same time, the West accused Russia of wanting to “kill each other” internally, but on the same day (26th), US President Joe Biden explained through a press conference that the US and its Western allies were not involved in the Wagner group’s insurgency. .
Putin also claimed that disaster was averted thanks to his crisis management skills.
However, this is different from what many Russian citizens actually witnessed last weekend, and it is difficult to be sure that they will believe Putin’s claims.
Meanwhile, President Putin said, “Thank you to the commanders and soldiers of the Wagner Group for making the only correct decision,” referring to those who did not cross the last line leading to fratricidal bloodshed.
“These [국방부 등과] Sign a contract to continue serving Russia, or return to the arms of your family. Or you can go to Belarus if you want. The promise I made will surely come true.”
At the beginning of the armed rebellion, Putin claimed, “a number of measures were taken to avoid massive bloodshed” and that the ringleaders “realized that their actions were criminal”.
He also thanked Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for his efforts to resolve the situation peacefully.
On the other hand, President Putin highly praised Russian society for showing unity in his speech, but the local situation in southern Rostov-on-Don, where the Wagner group once dominated and then withdrew, was completely different from this.
As Wagner’s group withdrew, cameras captured some locals hugging, taking pictures with, and applauding the mercenaries.
President Putin was also conscious of this, so it seems that he provided a way out for Wagner’s mercenaries, saying that they were also deceived and used by the ringleaders.
video description,
BBC Presenter Ross Atkins looked at the consequences of the aborted Wagner Rebellion
Meanwhile, the rebellion comes after months of deepening conflict between the Wagner group and the Russian military leadership.
The situation came to a head on the night of the 23rd, when Wagner’s mercenaries crossed the border from the battlefield in Ukraine and entered Rostov-on-Don. According to reports, Wagner’s group seized the Rostov-on-Don military headquarters while their military vehicles were advancing north toward Moscow.
In response, Prigozhin argued that their “march of justice” had exposed “serious security loopholes throughout Russia.”
Prigozhin also noted that President Lukashenko provided a way for Wagner to continue operating within his “legal jurisdiction” and that he was the necessary intermediary to bring down the rebellion.
Meanwhile, Prigozhin admits that Wagner’s mercenaries shot down an attack helicopter, killing some Russian soldiers.
However, he said, “Not a single soldier died on the spot,” adding, “It was regrettable that we had to attack the helicopter. But they attacked us with bombs and missiles.”
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