The Russian leader spoke to reporters after the plenary session of the Future Technologies Forum held on July 13. During the conversation, he, among other things, spoke about the meeting with the commanders of the Wagner PMC in the Kremlin, according to Kommersant.
The President confirmed that the meeting took place on June 29 and lasted three hours.
“Everything is very simple and obvious for the Russian society. Ordinary Wagner soldiers fought with dignity, so… The fact that they were involved in these events is regrettable… I will say this, very carefully…,” Putin began. “On the one hand, at a meeting with them, I gave an assessment of what they did on the battlefield, and on the other hand, what they did during the events of June 24. Third, he showed possible options for the further passage of their service, including combat use. That’s all,” the President concluded.
He also added that legally “Wagnerites” do not exist. “PMC Wagner does not exist. We do not have a law on private military organizations. It simply does not exist,” Putin added, adding that this is “a separate issue related to real legalization, but this is an issue that should be discussed in the State Duma, in the government.” According to the country’s leader, this is a “difficult issue.”
Earlier, the press secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov announced the meeting. He noted that “the president gave an assessment of the company’s actions at the front during the SVO, and also gave his assessment of the events of June 24.” “Putin listened to the explanations of the commanders and offered them further options for employment and further employment,” Peskov said.
Recall that on June 23, the founder of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced a “march of justice” against Moscow. PMC fighters crossed the border, established control over military facilities in Rostov-on-Don and entered several Russian regions with military equipment and weapons. The authorities of the Russian Federation called Prigozhin’s actions an armed rebellion. The situation was resolved on June 24 through the mediation of Alexander Lukashenko. Under the terms of the agreement, Yevgeny Prigozhin must leave for Belarus. After that, the Russian authorities dropped the criminal case on the rebellion and promised not to prosecute the PMC fighters.
Source: Rosbalt
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