Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation on Monday evening, praising the military personnel of the Wagner Group that "avoided bloodshed" and underscoring that these soldiers demonstrated their allegiance to Moscow.
During his televised speech, Putin encouraged the Wagner soldiers to continue their service by joining the Russian Ministry of Defense or by being deployed to Belarus in accordance with an arrangement reached with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, or to "go home."
In addition, Putin accused the "organizers" of the rebellion of provoking a conflict that would lead to "Russian soldiers killing one another," ultimately causing Moscow to lose. "Armed rebellion would have been suppressed anyway," the Russian president stressed, adding that "any blackmail and attempts to organize an internal mutiny will end in defeat."