Vladimir Putin said “blackmail attempts” were “doomed to failure” in an angry address after an aborted mutiny by Wagner mercenary fighters over the weekend.
The Russian President claimed the mutineers “wanted Russians to fight each other” but had badly “miscalculated” as he thanked those who had stood down to avoid bloodshed.
Mr Putin said he would honour his promise to allow Wagner fighters to relocate to Belarus if they wanted, or to sign a contract with the Defence Ministry or simply return to their families.
He made no mention of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led the mutiny.
The address to the nation had been heavily trailed by the Kremlin, which earlier said the speech would “determine the fate of Russia”.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s chief spokesman, said the Russian president would make a “series of important statements”.
He added: “These statements, without exaggeration, will determine the fate of Russia.”
In his speech, which lasted around five minutes, Mr Putin did not reference any potential prosecution for Mr Prigozhin or his future at all but he sought to portray his fighters as victims.
“We do know that the overwhelming majority of the Wagner group are also operators of Russia. They proved it by their courage on the battlefield. They were being used,” he said.
“I thank those soldiers who prevented bloodshed, who stopped at the final line: Now you have a chance to continue your service to Russia by signing a contract with the Ministry of Defence or any law enforcement agencies or go back to your families. Those who wish to will be able to go to Belarus. I will keep my promise.”
The aim of the mutiny was to avoid the destruction of the Wagner group of mercenaries, which Mr Prigozhin said was going to be terminated on July 1.
