Wagner Leader Prigozhin Met With Putin Days After Aborted Russian Revolt
Russian president met paramilitary chief and his commanders on June 29, Kremlin says
Updated July 10, 2023 The Wall Street Journal
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his commanders met with Russian President Vladimir Putin days after the group’s short-lived revolt against Moscow, according to the Kremlin, the latest act in the drama surrounding the future of the paramilitary chief and one that underlines his continued influence.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the three-hour meeting took place on June 29, after Prigozhin advanced on Moscow on June 24. The aborted mutiny posed the most serious challenge to Putin in his 23 years in power and the Russian leader has blasted the organizers for betraying their country.
Putin “invited 35 people, all the unit commanders and the company management, including Prigozhin,” to the meeting, Peskov added, referring to Wagner Group.
The Kremlin’s acknowledgment of the meeting added to confusion over Prigozhin’s whereabouts, which have been the subject of intense speculation since his daylong rebellion over two weeks ago, the last time he was seen in public. It also appeared to confirm the extent of the damage done to Putin’s authority by the rebellion, analysts say.
“The fact that Putin has to engage in negotiations with Prigozhin and soften his position really is a sign of weakness,” said Mark Galeotti, principal director of London-based consulting firm Mayak Intelligence and longtime Russia watcher, who is writing a book on Prigozhin.
During the June 29 meeting, according to Peskov, Putin assessed Wagner’s role in Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine and commented on the events of June 24, when Prigozhin’s forces came within 200 miles of Moscow after pledging to remove Russia’s military command.
The statement cast doubt on Peskov’s comments on June 29 when, according to accounts on Russian state media, he told reporters he wasn’t aware of the paramilitary chief’s whereabouts.
At the post-rebellion meeting with Putin, Wagner commanders shared their version of events with the president, who offered them continued involvement in combat operations, Peskov said Monday. The spokesman added that the commanders said they were supporters of the president, served him as soldiers and were ready to continue fighting for Russia.
Wagner didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the meeting.
Immediately after the mutiny, Putin made moves to shore up his support in public statements condemning those behind the rebellion and with a visit to Dagestan in southern Russia, where state TV broadcast footage of jubilant crowds greeting him.
The Kremlin’s decision to spotlight alleged continued support for Putin among Wagner troops suggests the Russian leader still needs Prigozhin and his men, despite having accused them of a “stab in the back” of the Russian nation at the time of the insurrection.
Wagner fighters have made key contributions to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, most recently leading the capture of the small eastern city of Bakhmut, where the longest and bloodiest engagement of the war played out before Ukraine launched a counteroffensive.
The mercenary group has also played a significant role in the Middle East and Africa, expanding Moscow’s influence by shoring up authoritarian leaders there and securing access to valuable resources.
Prigozhin ultimately called off his advance on Moscow in a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Wagner leader and his men were guaranteed safe passage to Belarus in an agreement said to have Putin’s blessing.
On Thursday, Lukashenko said Prigozhin was already back in Russia after a brief exile in Belarus. In response, last week Peskov said that the Kremlin wasn’t following the paramilitary leader’s movements. “We have neither the ability nor the desire” to do so, the Russian news agency Interfax quoted him as saying.
On Monday, Peskov didn’t offer any comments on Prigozhin’s current location.
Since the aborted uprising, some local Russian media have claimed sightings of Prigozhin in Russia, including in St. Petersburg. Russian state media, meanwhile, have published videos and pictures purported to be of Prigozhin’s residence and offices in an apparent drive to discredit him and expose a life lived in luxury.
Images allegedly taken inside the businessman’s home also showed weapons, colored wigs—apparent disguises—and passports, some with Prigozhin’s photo but under different names; others with his name but different photos.
When he launched his rebellion, Prigozhin said he was seeking the removal of Russia’s military command, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov.
On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry posted a video it said was dated Sunday that showed Gerasimov sitting in a military command center receiving reports about the situation in Ukraine, the first footage of him since the rebellion. Days after the insurrection, Shoigu, whose removal was also a key demand of Prigozhin’s, was seen in a video published by the ministry.
The appearance of the two men was suggestive of Putin’s determination to show that he hasn’t yielded to Prigozhin’s demands and was still in charge of decisions on who should lead his army.
Still, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the head of Russia’s air force, hasn’t been seen in public since the mutiny. He was last seen in a video released on June 23, looking distressed and clutching a rifle with his right hand as he pleaded with Prigozhin and his fighters to call off the proposed rebellion.
Western intelligence agencies have specifically mentioned Surovikin as a potential backer of Prigozhin’s rebellion.
Write to Matthew Luxmoore at matthew.luxmoore@wsj.com, Ann M. Simmons at ann.simmons@wsj.com and Georgi Kantchev at georgi.kantchev@wsj.com