Kremlin says Wagner rebellion has no impact on military campaign in Ukraine

Russian soldiers during a training course

According to Sputnik, in an interview on June 25, when asked whether Wagner's armed rebellion would affect Russia's military operations in Ukraine, Mr. Peskov said: "In any case, the special military operation in Ukraine will not change. The operation will continue. Our soldiers on the front line have shown heroism, quite effectively and successfully resisted the counterattack of the Ukrainian armed forces. The operation will continue."

The Kremlin spokesman stressed that Wagner fighters involved in the armed rebellion would not be prosecuted. At the same time, he added that the corporation could still sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry.

Regarding the case of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the spokesman noted that Mr. Prigozhin will be allowed to leave the country.

“The criminal case against Prigozhin will be closed and he will go to Belarus. If you ask what guarantees that Prigozhin can leave Russia for Belarus, then it is the guarantee of the Russian President,” Mr. Peskov affirmed.

The Kremlin spokesman also thanked Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for his mediation efforts in talks with Prigozhin, aiming to achieve the “highest goal” of avoiding conflict.

“The ultimate goal is to avoid bloodshed, avoid internal confrontation and clashes with unpredictable consequences. It is for these goals that President Lukashenko has made efforts to reconcile and President Putin has made decisions in line with these efforts,” Peskov said, adding that the phone call between Lukashenko and Putin was sincere and constructive.

According to Mr. Peskov, President Putin agreed to let his counterpart Lukashenko act as a mediator because the Belarusian leader has known Mr. Prigozhin personally for about 20 years. Mr. Lukashenko himself also proposed negotiations with the leader of the Wagner group.

The Kremlin spokesman said that thanks to this agreement, the rebellion was resolved without any further losses. Wagner members were also able to return to their barracks.

Soldiers of the Wagner private military corporation on the street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia

The Wagner military group’s rebellion escalated on June 23, when Prigozhin accused the Russian Defense Ministry of attacking Wagner bases. Wagner fighters and military equipment were moved from their base to the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Wagner also announced that its forces would march on Moscow.

The Russian Defense Ministry has strongly denied the accusations, calling them provocative. The Federal Security Service has accused Mr Prigozhin of trying to incite armed rebellion.

In a speech to the nation, President Vladimir Putin called for unity, saying all discord must be put aside while Russia conducts a special military operation in Ukraine.

After mediation efforts by President Lukashenko, Mr Prigozhin agreed to a de-escalation. The Wagner leader said he did not want to “trigger a bloody conflict” in his homeland and ordered Wagner troops to withdraw to their base in Lugansk.

Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev said that Wagner forces had left the city of Rostov-on-Don and were returning to their barracks. Russia's Federal Roads Agency (Rosavtodor) later said that all restrictions on roads and highways had been lifted, according to TASS news agency.

According to Tin Tuc Newspaper