By The Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on the Kremlin days after the commander led a short-lived rise up, a senior authorities spokesman stated Monday, the most recent twist in a baffling episode that has raised questions concerning the energy and affect held by each males.
The three-hour assembly happened on June 29 and likewise concerned commanders from Prigozhin’s Wagner Group navy contractor, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated. Putin gave an evaluation of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine — the place the mercenaries have fought alongside Russian troops — and of the revolt itself. The Wagner forces pledged loyalty to Putin, in keeping with Peskov.
The affirmation that Putin met face-to-face with Prigozhin, who led troops on a march to Moscow final month as a way to demand a change of protection minister, was extraordinary. Though the Russian chief branded Prigozhin a traitor because the revolt unfolded and vowed harsh punishment, the felony case towards the mercenary chief was later dropped.
His final destiny stays unclear, significantly since Monday’s announcement exhibits a lot is being negotiated behind closed doorways. On the day the assembly between Putin and Prigozhin happened, Peskov instructed reporters he didn’t have any info on the mercenary chief’s whereabouts.
Monday’s announcement got here as Russia’s Defense Ministry revealed a video that includes navy chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov — who was one of many targets of Prigozhin’s rise up. It was the primary time Gerasimov has been seen because the revolt.
The twin updates gave the impression to be one other try by the Kremlin to indicate it’s in management after a turbulent interval.
But Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow on the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, predicted that some observers can be shocked by the flip of occasions.
“When you look from the point of view of Russian elite, it’s ridiculous,” she instructed The Associated Press. “It’s just so unbelievable and just so shocking.”
Adding to the weird nature of the assembly was that till very just lately, Putin had denied any hyperlink between the state and Prigozhin’s forces. Mercenaries are unlawful in Russia, however Wagner troops have fought for Russian pursuits across the globe and performed an important function within the seize of Bakhmut within the struggle’s longest and bloodiest battle.
But all through the struggle, Prigozhin has criticized choices made by Russia’s prime navy brass, resulting in tensions with the Kremlin that culminated within the June 24 mutiny.
The rise up severely weakened Putin’s authority, despite the fact that Prigozhin claimed that the rebellion was not aimed on the president however at eradicating Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gerasimov. It ended his mutiny after a deal was brokered for Prigozhin to go to Belarus.
Days after the revolt, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated Prigozhin was in Belarus. But final week the president stated the mercenary chief was in Russia whereas his troops remained of their camps.
Peskov stated that in the course of the June 29 assembly, Putin provided an “assessment” of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine and “of the events of June 24.” The president additionally “listened to the explanations of the commanders and offered them options for further employment and further use in combat,” the Kremlin spokesman stated.
“The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened. They underscored that they are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the commander-in-chief, and also said that they are ready to continue to fight for their homeland,” Peskov stated.
A complete of 35 folks took half within the assembly, Peskov stated.
A NATO summit later this week in Lithuania is crank up the strain on Moscow after 16 months of struggle.
In southern Ukraine, a Russian airstrike on a faculty killed 4 adults as folks gathered to obtain humanitarian support, the governor of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia area stated Monday, branding the assault “a war crime.”
Three ladies and a person, all of their 40s, died within the strike Sunday within the city of Orikhiv, Gov. Yuriy Malashko stated.
A guided aerial bomb brought on an explosion on the college, Malashko stated, with out offering proof. Eleven different folks have been wounded within the assault, he stated.
Overall, Russia fired on 10 settlements within the province over the course of a day, he stated.
Moscow denies it targets civilian places. Russia has been accused quite a few instances of doing so and committing different struggle crimes since its February 2022 invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for struggle crimes, accusing him of private duty for the abductions of kids from Ukraine.
Investigations are additionally underway in Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression towards Ukraine, situated in The Hague, helps with these probes.
Zaporizhzhia province is house to Europe’s largest nuclear energy plant, which Russian forces seized early within the struggle, and is one in all 4 areas of Ukraine that Putin illegally annexed final 12 months. Retaking the province is without doubt one of the targets of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Russian aerial assaults continued throughout Ukraine between Sunday and Monday, in keeping with a abstract from the Ukrainian presidential workplace.
In the Donetsk area within the east, the Russians used plane, missile techniques and heavy artillery to shell residential areas of 6 cities and villages, injuring one individual, the workplace reported.
The Russian military attacked residential areas of Kherson, the regional capital of a province of the identical identify. A 66-year-old lady was injured, the presidential workplace stated.
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Follow AP’s protection of the struggle in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Source: www.bostonherald.com”