According to Russian news agencies, the head of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, remains under investigation for charges of organizing armed rebellion, even though the mercenary group has reached a deal with the Kremlin to end the mutiny.
The prosecutor’s office source stated that the criminal case against Prigozhin has not been dropped. This information was confirmed by the state news service Ria Novosti, which cited the same source. Additionally, Russian business newspaper Kommersant reported that Prigozhin is still being investigated by the FSB (Russia’s main security service) and that it is too early to make another decision regarding the charges.
Since Prigozhin left the southern army headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, his whereabouts have been unknown. The Kremlin had previously announced that all charges against him would be dropped once he agreed to leave for Belarus.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the Wagner mercenary group will continue its operations in the Central African Republic and Mali, emphasizing that the rebellion will not affect Russia’s relationships with its partners and friends.
Images of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visiting troops were released, marking his first public appearance since Prigozhin rebelled against the senior military leadership. The video showed Shoigu inspecting a Russian command point and receiving a progress report on the war against Ukraine. The video was speculated to have been filmed when Shoigu visited the Belgorod region on Ukraine’s border before the rebellion.
There were rumors that Russian President Vladimir Putin had approved Shoigu’s removal as part of a deal with Prigozhin to end the rebellion, but the Kremlin denied these claims. The released video may serve as a way to demonstrate that the situation has returned to normal just days after the armed forces of the Wagner group posed a threat to Putin’s regime.
During the visit, Shoigu was briefed by Yevgeny Nikiforov, the commander of Russia’s Western Military District, on the current situation, enemy activities, and the army’s combat tasks. Shoigu commended the army for its effectiveness and instructed them to uncover and prevent the enemy’s plans from being realized.
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