According to the Defense Ministry on Wednesday, mercenaries from the Wagner group have handed over their weapons to the Russian military. It follows a brief mutiny by a private army against the Kremlin last month. The authorities’ efforts to reduce Wagner’s threat are reflected in his disarmament, which also signals the end of the mercenary group’s operations in Ukraine.
These activities come amid uncertainty about the fate of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and the terms of the deal, which ended the defiance by offering amnesty for himself as well as his mercenaries and agreeing to move to Belarus. The Defense Ministry said the weapons handed over included more than 2,000 pieces of equipment such as tanks, rocket launchers, heavy artillery and air defense systems, more than 2,500 metric tonnes of weapons and more than 20,000 guns.
The Kremlin acknowledged on Monday that Prigozhin and 34 of his top officials met with President Vladimir Putin on June 29, five days after the uprising. This statement has come in response to that admission. Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov said Wagner’s leaders swore allegiance to Putin and are “ready to continue fighting for the country.” According to Putin, the Wagner soldiers had to decide whether to go to Belarus, sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense, or leave the service.
The Kremlin’s confirmation that Putin met with Prigozhin, who led troops on a trip to Moscow to request the removal of the country’s top military leaders, raised fresh questions about the deal that ended the resistance.
treat rebellion as an act of treason
When the mutiny began, Putin called it an act of treason and promised brutal discipline for those who participated, however, evidence incriminating law-breaking against Prigozhin as a component of the system was removed hours after the fact. was given. At the same time, the Wagner chief apparently, in any case, could face impeachment for financial misbehavior or various penalties.
Last week, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said his country had offered field camps to Wagner, but noted that Prigozhin was in Russia and his troops remained in their home camps. He was the person who mediated the settlement that ended the rebellion. Lukashenko noted that decisions by Prigozhin and the Russian government would determine his deployment to Belarus.
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