Hope Russians will "kill each other"? Putin criticizes some countries for "miscalculating" Russia | Wagner | Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a televised speech on the 26th, making arrangements for the whereabouts of the personnel of the private military entity Wagner. At the same time, he criticized some countries for wanting Russia to "kill each other" as a "wrong calculation".

According to Putin, most of Wagner's fighters and commanders are "patriots." The unity of the entire Russian society shows that any attempt to create internal turmoil is doomed to failure.

Russia's 'Enemy "]

Putin's televised speech, which lasted about five minutes, did not mention Yevgeny Prigoren, founder of the Wagner organization.

Wagner organization 23 night suspected of sedition, leading to tensions in Russia. On the 24th, the Russian Federal Security Service announced the filing of a criminal case against Prigo, and the capital Moscow and other places implemented "anti-terrorism" measures. That night, Prigo accepted the suggestion of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Wagner members stop marching in Russian territory and turn around to return to the field camp. They completely left the area where the headquarters of the southern Russian military region is located late on the 24th. The crisis was finally resolved in less than 24 hours.

In his latest speech, Putin stressed that he had made "all necessary decisions" from the beginning of the incident and that "the armed rebellion will be quelled under any circumstances". he criticized "those who organized the rebellion" for betraying the country and the people, and also for betraying and deceiving those who were drawn into the rebellion.

"This is exactly what Russia's enemies... want-Russian servicemen killing each other." In his speech, Putin named "enemies" including "neo-Nazis in Kiev" and their "Western patrons", as well as "traitors of all kinds" in Russia ".

According to Putin, the above-mentioned enemies hope that Russia will "eventually fail" and that Russian society will be "divided" and "infighting", but they have "miscalculated".

Putin also disclosed that the measures he took in response to the Wagner incident were aimed at avoiding large-scale bloodshed, while giving "those who made mistakes" time to rethink.

In addition, Putin disclosed for the first time in his speech that this incident led to the death of Russian pilots. He thanked these pilots for their "courage and self-sacrifice". However, Putin did not disclose the specific number of pilot casualties and more details.

Pass the "unity" signal]

In his speech, Putin emphasized that the "spirit of unity and patriotism" displayed by all Russian citizens shows that "any attempt to coerce or create internal turmoil is doomed to failure".

Putin called most of Wagner's fighters and commanders "Russian patriots," saying they were "loyal to their people and their country," and had proved it on the battlefield. At the same time, he thanked Wagner's soldiers and commanders for making the right decision, not fighting each other, and "holding the bottom line".

As for the arrangements for the personnel involved in the incident, Putin announced that the above-mentioned personnel can sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense or other powerful agencies to continue to serve the country; they can also return to their families and friends. You can also go to Belarus if you want.

Putin also thanked Belarusian President Lukashenko for his efforts and contributions to easing the situation.

After the Belarusian side informed the parties on the evening of the 24th that they had reached a consensus that "bloody massacres are not allowed on Russian territory," the Russian side announced that it would withdraw the criminal case against Prigojen and at the same time ensure that he can go to Belarus.

Multiple media outlets reported that it was unclear where Prigo was. He posted an 11-minute audio on social media on the 26th, reiterating that the purpose of the incident was to "protest", not to overthrow the government.

In addition, according to the Kremlin, after the televised speech, Putin held a meeting with eight senior officials of the defense and security departments to thank them for their work in ensuring national security. The participants included Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Prigo has repeatedly "denounced" Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of the armed forces, claiming that the two men ordered an attack on the Wagner militant camp and caused casualties, and that the ammunition that should be issued to the organization was "deducted. The targets of the Wagner members marching towards Moscow included Shoigu and Gerasimov.

On the 26th, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a video and news that Shoigu took the plane to inspect a front-line command post of the Western Group Army. However, the Russian Defense Ministry did not specify the specific time of Shoigu's trip.

The West is "clear"]

In response to the role of Western countries in the Wagner incident, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov disclosed in an interview with Russian media on the 26th that Russia is investigating whether Western intelligence agencies are involved in the incident.

The US "Washington Post" quoted US officials on the 24th and reported that as early as mid-June, US intelligence agencies had judged that Prigo Ren planned to take military actions against the Russian defense department based on the information they received. This has been communicated to White House, State and Defense Department officials and congressional leaders.

Lavrov said on the 26th that the United States had long known that the rebellion was about to take place, but decided not to tell anyone, "this is obviously hoping that the rebellion can succeed".

However, several Western officials have denied involvement in the Wagner incident. According to Lavrov, US Ambassador to Russia Lynn Tracy has told the Russian side that this incident is an internal affair of Russia and the US side has nothing to do with it.

U.S. President Joseph Biden said at the White House on the 26th that the incident was an "internal struggle in Russia" and that he had discussed relevant issues with major U.S. allies on a conference call. "We made it clear that we were not involved and that we had nothing to do with it."

Biden also said that at present, the United States has not been able to draw a definitive conclusion on the direction of the domestic situation in Russia, but the United States and its allies will continue to support Ukraine.

Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also stressed that the Wagner incident was an "internal Russian affair".