The Kremlin has acknowledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on June 29, just five days after the group’s march towards Moscow in a brief rebellion.
Prigozhin was one of 35 individuals invited to the meeting in Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that during the meeting, Putin provided an assessment of both the company’s actions on the front and the events of June 24 when the mutiny collapsed.
Peskov mentioned that Putin listened to the explanations provided by the commanders and proposed potential future employment and combat roles for them. Prigozhin reportedly expressed unwavering support for Putin during the meeting. However, the current whereabouts of the Wagner chief remain unclear.
The rebellion, which lasted only 24 hours, highlighted the public infighting between the Wagner group and Russia’s Ministry of Defense regarding the conduct of the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin had criticized the ministry for its alleged failure to provide ammunition to his group. After the mutiny ended, charges against Prigozhin were dropped, and he was offered relocation to Belarus.
