A day after an armed rebellion threatened his hold on Russia, President Vladimir Putin said the leader of Wagner’s mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, “will be brought to justice”.
“Any blackmail or attempt to organize internal unrest is doomed to failure,” Putin said in a televised address Monday night. “The organizers of the rebellion have betrayed their country.”
However, he also appeared to acknowledge that an immunity agreement reached between the two to end the standoff will stand for the time being. Putin said those who took part in the rebellion would have the option of leaving with Prigozhin to Belarus and avoiding prosecution, while also offering them the option of repentance by joining the Russian military.
He did not specifically name Prigozhin or mention a plan to revoke immunity, which analysts say means the Wagner leader will be able to continue leading the group in Belarus without consequences.
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