Putin Vows To Let Traitors Walk Away Free

(AmericanProsperity.com) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a June 26 televised speech he thanked Wagner mercenaries for preventing their march to deteriorate into “bloodshed.” He also thanked “all Russians” for showing unity during the armed rebellion by the private military group.

Following that speech, the Kremlin said in a statement it made a deal with Wagner’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his soldiers to walk free and receive amnesty. The deal was made after Belarus’ dictator Alexander Lukashenko negotiated with Prigozhin a peaceful solution to his “march of justice” against the Russian government.

After the deal, Prigozhin said in an 11-minute video statement that he wasn’t trying to stage a coup but was acting to avoid Wagner’s destruction. He also taunted Russia’s military by saying that this march was a “master class” on how the invasion of Ukraine should have been carried out. Wagner’s chief also mocked the Russian military for failing to protect the country, noting how he and his mercenaries almost reached Moscow without facing resistance.

In his video statement, Prigozhin didn’t say anything about what would happen to him and his troops. He did say that Lukashenko proposed “finding the best solution” for the private military group so it could continue its operations in a “lawful jurisdiction.”

According to independent Russian media outlet Vvorstka, Prigozhin is currently staying at a hotel in the Belarusian capital Minsk. The media outlet also claimed that Wagner, along with Belarusian officials, was creating a camp for the private military group about 320 miles north of the Belarus-Ukraine border.

While Wagner’s mutiny against the Kremlin was brief, it wasn’t non-violent. As reported by numerous Russian media outlets, the mercenaries managed to shoot down a communications plane and some military helicopters, killing 15. Prigozhin said that while he feels sorry for attacking these Russian soldiers, his mercenaries were forced to take this step as they were being attacked with bombs and missiles.