The criminal investigation into a popular mercenary leader and thousands of his soldiers was officially closed on Tuesday following their 36-hour armed uprising. Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted bringing his country to the brink of “civil war”.
The Federal Security Service says the case will not be prosecuted because Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group fighters ‘have ceased their (criminal) activities’, ending an insurgency that exposed deep cracks in authoritarian rule of Putin.
“In view of this and other circumstances relevant to the investigation, the investigating authority issued a resolution to close the criminal case on June 27,” the FSB statement said.
Prigozhin halted his march to Moscow on Saturday after the Kremlin agreed not to pursue charges against him or his supporters. The FSB announcement came hours after Putin addressed his nation, calling the perpetrators of the uprising “traitors” and “enemies of Russia”.
Earlier on Monday, Prigozhin issued his own statement saying he had halted his campaign because he did not want to shed Russian blood and because the goal was protest, not regime change. Prigozhin, under the terms of the agreement with the Kremlin, was allowed to leave Russia for neighboring Belarus.
Putin urges unity against rebellion, blames Wagner leader Prigozhin: live updates
Developments:
∙ The media Belarusian hajun tweeted on Tuesday that Prigozhin’s business jet landed at the Machulishchy military airfield near the Belarusian capital of Minsk.
∙Heavy equipment from the Wagner Group in Prigozhin is being transferred to the Russian army, the Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear what role Prigozhin’s troops, estimated at 50,000, will play in the coming war.
Will Vladimir Putin stay in power? Coup attempt increases pressure on war in Ukraine
Putin credits military for stopping ‘chaos’
The Russian military and law enforcement took action at crucial times of the uprising, saving the country from civil war, Russian President Vladimir Putin told soldiers and other law enforcement on Tuesday. The laureates “opposed disorder, which would inevitably lead to chaos,” Putin said.
“You saved our homeland from turmoil and actually stopped the civil war,” Putin told soldiers gathered in the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square. “In a dramatic situation, you acted with clarity and consistency, proved your loyalty to the Russian people and the military oath, and displayed your responsibility for the fate of the homeland and its future.”
He also called for a minute’s silence to “honor the memory” of more than a dozen pilots and others killed in the uprising. Prigozhin said his troops were attacked by planes and helicopters, a claim denied by the Kremlin.