Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed on Friday that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin refused to hand over command of his fighter during their first meeting held since a failed coup in the Kremlin last month – which could decide the group’s fate.
It is pertinent to mention here that three weeks after Prigozhin launched a short-lived rebellion against Kremlin rule, the future and whereabouts of the Wagner members remain uncertain.
The Kremlin confirmed but gave few details about a meeting between Putin, Prigozhin and other Wagner commanders on 29 June, five days after the mutiny. AFP informed of.
In an interview with Kommersant, Putin said that he offered a way forward for the Wagner fighters.
“(The fighters) can all gather in one place and continue to serve,” Putin told Kommersant.
According to the daily newspaper, they would come under the command of a commander nicknamed “Sedoy”.
Putin was quoted as saying, “Nothing will have changed for them, they will be led by the same person who was their real commander all this time.”
The Russian leader said that “many people nodded” but Prigozhin ultimately declined the offer.
Wagner had operated in the shadows for years.
It came into limelight during the military operation in Ukraine, despite the fact that private military companies are illegal in Russia.
“The (Wagner) Group is here, but it doesn’t legally exist!” Putin told Kommersant.
“There is a separate question concerning their actual legalization. This is a question that should be discussed within the Duma and the government,” Putin said, referring to the lower house of parliament.
Observers say the uprising is the biggest challenge to Vladimir Putin’s authority since he came to power in late 1999.
On 23 and 24 June, thousands of mercenaries took up arms and marched through southern Russia towards Moscow with the aim of overthrowing the country’s military leaders.
The rebellion ended with an agreement mediated by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, under which Prigozhin was expected to move with some of his men to neighboring Belarus.
