Why Putin met with Prigozhin after the rebellion

According to Peskov, the meeting was held in the Kremlin on June 29 and lasted three hours. The meeting was attended by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the commanders of the "Wagner" mercenary army - a total of 35 people.

According to Peskov, members of the mercenary army conveyed assurances that they are dedicated supporters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and are ready to continue the fight for the homeland.

 

Why Prigozhin made a deal with the Kremlin and how it damaged Putin's image

 

Putin, in turn, gave an assessment of the activities of the private mercenary army at the front and the "events of June 24", and offered the members of "Wagner" options for further engagement, said the representative of the Kremlin. In a public televised address to Russians, Putin called Prigozhin's actions "a betrayal of Russia."

 

Earlier, the French publication Libération reported on Putin's meeting with Prigozhin, citing intelligence sources. According to the newspaper's information, Prigozhin and the commanders of "Wagner" visited the Kremlin on July 1 and, in addition to Putin, met with the head of the Russian Guard Viktor Zolotov and the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin.

 

Prigogine's Rebellion

 

On the night of June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that he and his mercenaries were embarking on a "march of justice" to get rid of the Russian military leadership. Units of the private mercenary army occupied Rostov-on-Don, and marched several hundred kilometers in the direction of Moscow.

However, the rebellion ended as quickly as it began - on the evening of June 24. After negotiations with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin announced that his mercenaries were returning to their camps, and the Kremlin, which initially threatened punishment for treason, agreed with the "Wagners".

The parameters of this agreement were later announced by Peskov: Prigozhin would "go" to Belarus, the criminal proceedings on the rebellion would be closed, the participants of the rebellion would not be tried out of respect for their military merits (i.e. participation in the invasion of Ukraine), and with some of those who participated in the riots, the Ministry of Defense of Russia will sign contracts.

 

"No kisses and reconciliation"

Analysis by BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg

 

Putin's meeting with Prigozhin after the failed rebellion is another twist in the story, which has already surpassed Dostoyevsky in terms of surprise and mystery.

However, we do not know what exactly was discussed at that meeting and how it ended. Judging by what happened after that, there was no "kissing and making up."

The Russian state media has been actively discrediting Yevgeny Prigozhin in recent days.

The presenters of "NTV" described the past of the founder of the private mercenary army as "rich in crime", and Prigozhin himself was portrayed as a greedy and cruel petty thief.

"He is not Robin Hood as he tried to pretend to be. He was a businessman with a criminal past. Many of his projects were insidious and did not always comply with the law", - writes in "News of Sunday" on the federal TV channel "Russia 1". .

In the show "60 minutes" on the same channel, video and photos of the search of the house and office of the founder of "Wagner" in St. Petersburg were shown.

Among what the security forces found during the search were gold, money, wigs, as well as a collection of weapons and large hammers.

 

ISW: The Kremlin wants to show that it is in control

 

The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes that Putin's decision to meet with Prigozhin is inconsistent with the Kremlin's previous rhetoric about the "Wagner" boss.

Perhaps, ISW notes, the decision to make the meeting public was made to dispel questions about Prigozhin's ability to move freely around Russia without facing persecution.

Both events are most likely part of the Kremlin's idea to show that it has full control over the situation after the attempted coup and are evidence that the rebels have given up, at least officially, calls for a change in Russia's top military leadership.

All this indicates that the Kremlin is probably trying to present the rebellion, its possible consequences and calls for the dismissal of disgruntled military leaders as a done deal, summarizes ISW.

The speech of Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, experts write, confirms ISW's previous assessment that he will most likely retain his official position, as his dismissal would cause too much damage to the reputation of the Kremlin and the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Acquiescing to Prigozhin's demands to remove Shoigu and Gerasimov would likely damage the regime's security by setting a precedent and showing that resistance and open rebellion are legitimate means to achieve desired ends, experts write.

 

Where is Prigozhin now?

 

On June 27, Lukashenko said that the founder of "Wagner" had arrived in Belarus, but on July 6, almost two weeks after the riots, the Belarusian president announced that Prigozhin was not in the country.

 

"As far as I am informed, the Wagner fighters are in their camps. As for Prigozhin, he is in St. Petersburg. "He is not on the territory of Belarus," Lukashenko said.

 

As the New York Times wrote citing a source in the Pentagon, most of the time after the rebellion, Prigozhin was in Russia, moving between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Moreover, it is not clear whether he even flew to Belarus, according to the NYT. According to the interlocutor of the newspaper, in order to hide his real whereabouts, Prigozhin could use doubles.

The BBC tracked down Prigozhin's private plane, which flew to Belarus at the end of June and returned to Russia the same evening. It has since made several flights between St. Petersburg and Moscow, although it is unclear whether Prigozhin was on the plane.

 

 

On July 6, Peskov, commenting on the reports about the transfer of the founder of "Wagner", said that they are not being followed in the Kremlin.

 "We do not follow his Prigozhin movements, we have neither the opportunity nor the desire," Putin's press secretary said.