Appearing again in front of the TV screen, angry Putin Wagner | Russia | Putin
This article is reprinted from Niu Danqin
Author Niu Danqin
Putin, with an angry expression on his face, appeared again in front of the TV screen.
In a previous preview, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said that Putin's speech this evening "will, to put it bluntly, determine Russia's fate.".
At around 10pm Moscow time on June 26th, Putin appeared on the screen wearing a black tie. Before explicitly mentioning Wagner's name, I felt like he let out a long sigh.
He said, "I am grateful to the soldiers of the Wagner Group who made the only correct choice. They did not engage in self destruction and stopped at the last minute.".
He emphasized that the vast majority of Wagner's soldiers were patriots, "they proved this with courage on the battlefield." However, Putin, who was clearly still angry, strongly criticized the recent "treason" behavior.
![Appearing again in front of the TV screen, angry Putin Wagner | Russia | Putin](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/433c729eaa8184623f7093ed1c86a168.jpg)
Putin harshly cursed, "A small group of people have betrayed their country and people, as well as the soldiers they dragged into crime. They lied to them, pushed them towards disappointment, attacked them, and forced them to shoot at the people."
In his view, this kind of self destructive behavior was exactly what Russia's enemies hoped to see, but they ultimately miscalculated. Russia's unity has played a decisive role, and armed rebellions are sure to be suppressed.
It is worth noting that Putin also expressed special gratitude to Belarusian President Lukashenko for his mediation, and to all loyal military and law enforcement personnel. "Our brave pilots, their courage and self sacrifice, ultimately saved Russia from the tragic and devastating consequences."
What does it mean?
If I'm not mistaken, although the situation was resolved peacefully overall, the process was heart wrenching, and some Russian soldiers should have been killed in the exchange of fire with Wagner.
Wagner's head, Prigoren, previously admitted that his subordinates were "forced" to shoot down the Russian helicopter that attacked them.
What should we do with Wagner?
![Appearing again in front of the TV screen, angry Putin Wagner | Russia | Putin](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/e2f60c597dc7cf2914d57c5dab857c21.jpg)
This is exactly the core part of this TV speech. Prior to this, Putin specifically convened a meeting of military and political officials such as Defense Minister Shoigu.
In a televised speech, Putin said to General Wagner, "Today, you have the opportunity to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense or other law enforcement agencies to continue serving Russia; or, you can go home and return to your loved ones; those who are willing to go to Belarus, I will keep the promises I have made."
Then, with a sigh, Putin said, "I repeat, you have the right to choose, but... I believe this will be the choice of the Russian soldiers who recognize their tragic mistakes."
The meaning is very clear. After this mutiny, Wagner soldiers had only three options: 1) to join the Russian army; 2. Go home; 3. Go to Belarus.
In this televised speech that "determines the fate of Russia," Putin did not mention the name of Prigoren. But in his words, you can still feel Putin's anger towards him.
In his televised speech after the mutiny, Putin cursed: "We have suffered betrayal, and excessive ambition and personal interests have led to betrayal, which is a blow to Russia's back.".
Fortunately, this 24-hour mutiny ended smoothly. But for Putin, this is obviously an unacceptable offense, especially when the Russia-Ukraine conflict is in full swing.
![Appearing again in front of the TV screen, angry Putin Wagner | Russia | Putin](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/aa683e2d35aec67b04e5269324dd1094.jpg)
So, he gave Wagner three choices and reiterated that he would keep his promise.
But no matter which one, the original Wagner will no longer exist.