Putin Meets With Revolt Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin & Wagner Group Commanders To Get Loyalty Pledge

Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner Group commanders held a meeting with Vladimir Putin for three hours after the Wagner Group rebellion in order to pledge their loyalty to the Russian government.

At the June 29 meeting, Putin assessed Wagner’s strategies and actions on the war in Ukraine and the revolt. 

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, publicly announced this meeting for the first time yesterday.

“The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened,” he said. “They underscored that they are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the commander-in-chief, and also said that they are ready to continue to fight for their homeland.” 

Putin originally labeled Prigozhin as a traitor and was planning on punishing him harshly or even killing him. He later changed his mind and the two men came to an agreement. The criminal case against Prigozhin was dropped, but he was exiled from Russia. 

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claims that he was the person who changed Putin’s mind about killing Prigozhin. He additionally stated that he assisted in brokering the deal between the two men and made sure that Prigozhin arrived safely in Belarus. 

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The Wagner Group’s rebellion occurred on June 23 but only lasted for one day. The mercenaries from the Group were ordered by Prigozhin to march toward Moscow after increasing tensions between the Russian military and the Wagner Group in the midst of the war in Ukraine.

Experts agree that the revolt has weakened Putin’s control and authority over Russia. 

Prigozhin has not publicly spoken about the meeting with Putin, and it is unclear what will happen to him moving forward. It is possible that Prigozhin will face prosecution and multiple charges.