Moscow (BLAZETRENDS).- Russian President Vladimir Putin met on June 29 with the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgueni Prigozhin, after his failed rebellion, the Kremlin reported today.
The meeting, which was also attended by all the commanders of the mercenary company, lasted for three hours, said the spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dmitri Peskov, at his daily press conference.
“The meeting took place in the Kremlin and lasted for almost three hours,” said Peskov, who added that the meeting had 35 participants.
During it, Putin “gave his assessment of the performance of the company (Wagner) at the front in the framework of the special military operation and also of the events of June 24”, alluding to the mutiny led by Prigozhin, who miscarried when his soldiers were about 200 kilometers from Moscow.
Putin listened to “the commanders’ explanations” and offered them employment options after the rebellion, according to the Kremlin.
“The commanders themselves put forward their version of what happened and stressed that they were staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the commander-in-chief,” Peskov added.
Wagner’s leaders “also said they were willing to continue fighting for the country.”
“That’s all we can say about that meeting,” he concluded.
Russia claims it repelled a missile attack on the Crimean bridge and airfield
Russia assured that it repelled a Ukrainian attack on Sunday against the Crimean bridge and a military airfield in the Rostov region, in the south of the country, with two separate S-200 missiles.
According to the report of the chief of staff of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Colonel General Victor Afzalov, the two missiles were shot down by anti-aircraft defense, the Ministry of Defense reported on its Telegram channel.
Two other S-200 missiles were deflected from their targets with electronic warfare means and fell to the ground without causing damage or destruction.
The S-200, designed in Soviet times, are anti-aircraft missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers that may be suitable for attacking ground targets.
The head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Army General Valery Gerasimov, ordered to establish and attack the places where the enemy stores S-200 and similar missiles and to take additional defense measures against air attacks.
Defense published a video of the telematic meeting in which Guerásimov gave these orders, in his first public appearance since the abortive rebellion of the Wagner Group mercenaries on June 23 and 24.