Criminal Case Against Prigozhin to be Dropped — Kremlin

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that the founder of Wagner PMC will leave for Belarus

MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. A criminal case against Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) founder Yevgeny Prigozhin will be dropped, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"You will ask me what will happen to Prigozhin himself. A criminal case against him will be dropped, while he will go to Belarus," the Kremlin official said.

That said, Russian President Vladimir Putin guarantees that Prigozhin will be able to leave Russia for Belarus. "If you are asking me, what are the guarantees that Prigozhin can go to Belarus — that’s the word of the Russian president," Peskov stressed.

On June 23, several audio recordings were posted on Prigozhin’s Telegram channel. He particularly claimed that his forces had come under attack, which he blamed on the country’s military authorities. In this regard, the Federal Security Service (FSB) launched a criminal investigation into calls for armed mutiny. The Russian Defense Ministry slammed the allegations of a strike on the Wagner PMC’s "rear camps" as fake news. The FSB warned Wagner fighters against following Prigozhin’s orders and called on them to detain him.

Putin, in a televised address to the nation on Saturday, described the Wagner group’s actions as armed mutiny and betrayal, vowing to take tough measures against the mutineers.

In the evening, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in coordination with Putin held talks with Prigozhin working out a plan on de-escalating the situation. Later, Prigozhin said that the Wagner PMC was halting the movement of its convoys, turning them around and returning to field camps.

Lukashenko’s mediating effort due to his long acquaintance with Prigozhin — Kremlin

The President of Belarus has known Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Private Military Company, for about 20 years, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters

MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko volunteered his mediating services because he has been acquainted with Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) founder Yevgeny Prigozhin for about 20 years, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

"You will likely ask me why precisely President Lukashenko [became the mediator]? The thing is that Alexander Grigoryevich has known Prigozhin personally for a long time, about 20 years, and this was his personal initiative which was coordinated with President Putin," the Kremlin official said.

Putin’s press secretary stressed that June 24 was a "rather difficult day, literally filled with these tragic events." "You know that as a result, it was possible to resolve this situation without further losses, without further escalating the level of tensions," he emphasized.

Peskov said that on Saturday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation and the Russian and Belarusian presidents held several conversations during the day.

He pointed out that Moscow had great esteem for Lukashenko’s mediating efforts in resolving the situation with the armed mutiny.

"The two presidents, indeed, agreed on President Lukashenko providing mediating efforts on settling the situation [with the Wagner PMC]. We hold this readiness in high esteem," the Kremlin official concluded.

Plotters Aim to Destabilize Russia - Foreign Ministry

The Foreign Ministry expressed the certainty that "in the near future the situation will be resolved in a way worthy of the ages-old wisdom of the Russian people and the Russian state"

MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. The plotters' adventurist aspirations are aimed at destabilizing Russia, and this plays into the hands of its external enemies, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in connection with the current domestic political situation.

"The plotters' adventurist aspirations are essentially aimed at destabilizing the situation in Russia, destroying our unity and undermining Russia's efforts to reliably ensure international security," the Foreign Ministry said. "The mutiny plays into the hands of Russia's external enemies."

"The attempted armed mutiny in our country has aroused strong disapproval in Russian society, which firmly supports President Vladimir Putin," the Foreign Ministry said. "We warn the Western countries against the slightest attempts to use the internal situation in Russia for achieving their Russophobic aims. Such attempts are futile and evoke no support either in Russia or among soberly-minded political forces abroad."

The Foreign Ministry expressed the certainty that "in the near future the situation will be resolved in a way worthy of the ages-old wisdom of the Russian people and the Russian state", and that "all goals and tasks of the special military operation will be achieved".

"Russia will continue its sovereign policy of ensuring its security, defending its values, strengthening its authority in the international arena, and creating a fair multipolar world order. We appreciate the understanding of this high-principled position by our allies and foreign partners, which we are already feeling in full right now," the Foreign Ministry said.

Mutiny in Russia Aiming to Takeover Power - Medvedev

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman separately mentioned the potential adverse consequences of the mutiny

MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. The armed mutiny underway in Russia is a thought-through operation organized to take over power, said Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev.

"It is obvious that this is a well-thought-out and planned operation aiming to take over power in the country," he told journalists.

"The unfolding of current events shows that the actions by the individuals who organized the armed mutiny completely fits in with the plan of a very well-thought-out and organized coup d’etat," Medvedev stressed. "Given the high degree of the plan’s preparedness, the professional coordination of actions, the quality management of troop movements, it is possible to speak of a thought-out military plan and the participation in the mutiny of the individuals who earlier served in the elite units of the Russian Armed Forces or, quite possibly, of foreign specialists as well," he suggested.

Medvedev stressed that this is precisely why "speculations over offenses suffered in the past, the Defense Ministry’s failure to fulfill certain obligations, some 'strikes' against rear locations, and officials’ corruption do not hold water. This is nonsense."

He separately mentioned the potential adverse consequences of the mutiny. "We are well aware of the consequences of a coup d’etat in the largest nuclear power. In the history of human race there has never been a situation where the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons was controlled by bandits. Such a crisis will obviously not be limited to a single country. The world will be brought to the brink of annihilation," Medvedev cautioned.

"We will not allow events to follow such a scenario. No matter how strongly crazy criminals and their followers might wish to see it materialize," the Security Council deputy chairman concluded.