News / Russia

Russia defense chief visits front-line troops after Wagner mutiny, urges vigilance

Monday, 26 June 2023 10:29 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 26 June 2023 11:06 AM ]

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. (Via Reuters)

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has visited front-line troops, appearing in public for the first time after the Wagner Group's armed mutiny against Moscow.

"In the course of work in the special military operation zone, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, checked the forward command post of one of the formations of Battlegroup Zapad's Forces," the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

During the visit, Shoigu listened to a report about the current situation on the front lines in Ukraine and ordered commanders to continue reconnaissance activities to detect and foil enemy plots.

"The commanders of Battlegroup Zapad's Forces were tasked with continuing active reconnaissance in order to reveal the enemy's plans in advance and prevent their implementation on the distant approaches to the line of contact," the statement added.

It marks Shoigu's first public appearance following a short-lived mutiny by a private Russian paramilitary company called the Wagner Group.

The fleeting mutiny against the Russian military leadership on Saturday ended with a deal brokered by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.

US officials knew Wagner chief’s mutinous plans against Russia: Report

The New York Times has reported US intelligence officials were aware that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner group, was planning to take military action against Russia.

The mutiny started over differences between Wagner's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Prigozhin had accused Russia’s military top brass of ordering a rocket attack on Wagner’s field camps in Ukraine -- where Russia has been leading a military operation -- killing "huge numbers” of his paramilitary forces. Authorities in Moscow strongly denied his claim.

The deal stipulates that Wagner's forces will withdraw and receive security guarantees, while the charges against Prigozhin will be dropped and he will depart toward Belarus, the Kremlin said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described the events that unfolded over the weekend in the form of the mutiny as "tragic." Still praising the deal, the Russian official said avoiding bloodshed was more important than punishing people.

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