Putin raises mutiny as proof of solidity, while Belarus opens doors to rebels

Russia’s President Vladimir V. Putin on Tuesday attempted to rewrite the weekend’s uprising by mercenary chief Yevgeny V. Prigozhin as a heroic episode for a rock-solid Russian state, while neighboring Belarus said Mr Prigozhin had gone into exile there and sent a signal gave that it would also be open to take on its battle-hardened troops.

Russia’s domestic intelligence said it was dropping its criminal investigation into Mr Prigozhin, who drove fighters from his Wagner group into Moscow before he resigned on Saturday, and the defense ministry said Wagner was preparing to hand over his heavy equipment to the military. to carry.

But even as the Kremlin exuded an air of control and stability, top officials made it clear that the fallout was not over, hinting that it could weed out those associated with the mercenary leader or who lacked steadfastness in supporting Putin during the war. the crisis.

During a televised meeting with members of the military service in Moscow, Putin suggested that Prigozhin — whose name he has refused to utter publicly in recent days — or people linked to him could be guilty of bribery. He said Mr Prigozhin, a catering magnate, had earned about $1 billion in military catering contracts over the past year, and that the government had spent another $1 billion supporting Wagner forces who were brutally effective in fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

“I want everyone to know this: the support for the Wagner group was provided entirely by the state,” Putin said, before concluding with a warning: “I hope no one stole anything during this work – or, let’s say, haven’t stolen much – but we’ll get to the bottom of this for sure.

It continued a shift in the opaque power dynamics of Russia’s ruling elite, where nepotism and corruption can provide a tolerated path to influence and wealth – unless the people involved clash with those at the top. What the president failed to acknowledge was that Mr. Prigozhin gained notoriety and wealth, mainly on the basis of his long-standing past association with Mr. Putin himself.

The Speaker of Russia’s Lower House of Parliament Vyacheslav Volodin directed lawmakers to determine which government officials had fled Moscow during the uprising, stating that “this must be punished”.

In a lavishly choreographed and televised outdoor performance at the Kremlin, Mr. Putin descended a long, red-carpeted staircase and delivered a speech from a medieval podium in Cathedral Square, followed by a gun salute and music from a soldier. band. He paid tribute to the troops and security forces who he said had shown “determination and courage” in defending Moscow on Saturday as Wagner forces advanced to less than 200 kilometers from the capital.

“Some of our comrades-in-arms died in the confrontation with the mutineers,” he said. “Kites. They did not budge and carried out their command and their military duty with honor.”

Putin’s busy day before television cameras showed the Kremlin’s intent to take control of the public narrative after Russia’s inability to prevent a rebel force from taking a major city and advancing hundreds of miles toward Moscow shocked the world. Amazed. Wagner’s capture of Rostov-on-Don and march on the capital seemed to threaten civil war — and possibly disaster for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine — until it came to an abrupt end on Saturday.

Belarusian President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko said Mr. Putin, his closest ally, offered the option of simply killing Mr. Prigozhin in a phone call on Saturday, but had convinced the Russian president “not to do anything rashly” . His version of the conversation could not be independently verified and the Kremlin did not immediately comment on it.

Mr Lukashenko acted as a go-between in the deal that halted the uprising and offered Mr Prigozhin asylum, promising he would not be prosecuted by Russia.

A Russian-registered jet linked to the Wagner boss flew from Russia to Belarus on Tuesday, according to flight tracking websites, and the Belarusian news service said it had arrived in the country. There was no confirmation from Mr. Prigozhin himself.

Speaking at a ceremony honoring military officers in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, Mr. Lukashenko said he had discussed with his defense minister, Viktor G. Khrenin, the possibility of welcoming Wagner fighters to his country. “Khrenin said, ‘It wouldn’t bother me to have such a unit in the army,'” said Mr. Lukashenko. He added that he had replied: “I agree. Speak to them.”

He said he had offered Wagner an “abandoned” military base, but stressed that no camps were being built specifically for the mercenary group. His remarks were recorded and broadcast by the Belarusian state media.

The status of Wagner’s troops in Ukraine, which Prigozhin estimated numbered at 25,000, seemed to be at the heart of his break with the Kremlin. For months he has accused the military hierarchy, especially Defense Minister Sergei K. Shoigu, of incompetence in the war against Ukraine and of depriving Wagner of needed resources.

Mr Prigozhin said on Monday he never intended to overthrow the government, but suggested he had wanted to oust military leaders like Mr Shoigu. His short-lived revolt, he said, “was to prevent the destruction of Wagner and to bring to justice those persons who, by their unprofessional actions, have committed a great number of mistakes.”

Last month, the government ordered all irregulars fighting in Ukraine to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry before July 1, next Saturday, stripping Wagner of his independence. Mr Prigozhin protested bitterly that his force was destroyed and said most of his troops would not sign, but Mr Putin supported the order and definitively sided with the ministry in the power struggle.

Mr Shoigu has featured prominently in state media coverage over the past two days, in what appeared to be a show of stability and confidence. He was seen at Putin’s speech on Tuesday, at a meeting with Putin on Monday and in a video released on Monday showing the defense minister visiting military positions, apparently days earlier.

Mr Lukashenko on Tuesday gave his first public insight into how the uprising ended, presenting himself as a central figure in the drama, along with some veiled criticism of everyone involved, including Mr Putin.

He spoke with Putin at 10:10 a.m. Saturday, he said, and they discussed the possibility of assassinating the Wagner chief. He said he had urged caution and assured the Russian leader that “a bad peace is better than any war”.

Later, he said, he spoke to Mr. Prigozhin, tried to persuade him to resign and warned him that the Russians would “crush him like a bug”.

“It was exceptional,” he said of the conversation with Mr Prigozhin. “There were 10 times more swear words – I analyzed it later – than normal vocabulary.”

Mr. Lukashenko seemed to acknowledge that the tension between Mr. Shoigu and Mr. Prigozhin had gotten out of hand. “Two people fighting at the front collided with each other,” he said.

The Belarusian leader said neither he nor Mr Putin nor Mr Prigozhin had emerged from the weekend’s unrest as “heroes” – they had “missed the situation, and then we thought it would resolve, but it did not resolve”.

“It was painful to watch the events in the south of Russia,” he added. “Not just for me. Many of our citizens took them to heart, because the fatherland is one.”

Mr Lukashenko managed to stay in power for 29 years, but at a price. Belarus has increasingly become a repressive client state of Russia, treated as an outcast by the West and dependent on Moscow for support. He gained support from the Kremlin in 2020 when he violently crushed a democratic movement that challenged his claim to a landslide re-election victory. In 2022, he allowed Putin to use the territory of Belarus as a staging post for his invasion of Ukraine, and recently allowed Russia to station tactical nuclear weapons in his country.

He was motivated to intervene in the Wagner mutiny, Mr. Lukashenko said bluntly, because “if Russia collapses, we will remain under the rubble – we will all die.”

Like Mr. Lukashenko, Viktor V. Zolotov, the head of the Russian National Guard, may have taken the lead in the power struggle. He told reporters after Mr Putin’s speech that he was “in constant contact with the president” during the uprising and that his troops were ready to “fight to the death” to defend Moscow.

Mr Zolotov, a former bodyguard of Mr Putin, said he had already spoken with the president about the need to equip his armed forces – which are separate from the army – with “tanks and long-range weapons”.

“This is a very urgent question right now,” he said, according to the state news agency Tass. “We will introduce this to the armed forces.”