Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Wagner’s mercenary chief and his fighters just days after they threatened to overthrow the country’s military leadership and marched on Moscow, the Kremlin said on Monday.
Yevgeny Prigozhin and the top commanders of the Wagner Group met Putin in the Kremlin on June 29, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during his daily call with reporters.
The meeting lasted nearly three hours, Peskov said, and was attended by about 35 people.
Prigozhin and other Wagner members did not comment publicly on the meeting and the Kremlin’s version of events could not be confirmed.
It is the first time the Kremlin has spoken of an in-person meeting between Putin and the man who presented the first real challenge to the Russian president’s two-decade rule. The fate and exact whereabouts of Wagner’s boss remained a mystery after he was reportedly sent into exile to a neighboring ally, Belarus, as part of a deal brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
The alleged deal aborted Prigozhin’s brief mutiny attempt, which Putin called “treason” and “a stab in the back.” Western analysts said he showed cracks in Putin’s grip on power and weakened his authority.
Peskov said he did not know the details of exactly what was discussed at the meeting, but said Putin “gave an assessment” of Wagner’s actions on the front lines in Ukraine, where the armed and well-trained force has been one of the forces Russia’s strongest strategic property, and the events that occurred on June 24, when the attempted mutiny occurred.
He said Putin listened to “explanations” from Wagner’s commanders about what happened that day and offered them more options for employment and combat use.
Wagner’s commanders also presented their own version of events on the day of the riot, Peskov added, stressing that they were “staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the supreme commander-in-chief,” referring to Putin.
It is unclear why the Kremlin decided to publicize the meeting with Prigozhin, which occurred nearly two weeks ago, but it has been trying to project a sense of order and unity weeks after the riot, Prigozhin’s fighters came within just over 100 miles. from Moscow
Prigozhin’s revolt failed to substantially divide Russian society and did not see any high-profile political or military figures switch to his side. Prigozhin has since been criticized by Kremlin-controlled state media as a self-centered traitor, while Putin has been praised for ending the riot and “unifying” the nation.
