Russian authorities said on Tuesday they have closed a criminal investigation into the aborted armed rebellion led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and are pressing no charges against
Over the weekend, the Kremlin pledged not to prosecute Prigozhin and his fighters after he stopped the revolt on Saturday, even though Putin had branded them as traitors
Putin spoke hours after Prigozhin denied that his march on the capital was a coup attempt and said he'd keep his mercenary company going despite official efforts to shut it down
He made these remarks in reference to the rebellion that seemed to have dealt a blow to the authority of Russian President Vladimir Putin
President Putin's position is absolutely stable and there is no change in situation in Russia, a senior Kremlin diplomat said on Monday, days after a brief rebellion against Putin by mercenary leader
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We started our march because of an injustice, Prigozhin said in an 11-minute audio. He didn't offer any details as to where he was or what his future plans are
This came after incident raised troubling questions about Russian President Vladimir Putin's grip on power and whether Wagner group fighters might install themselves just over the border in Belarus
On Friday June 23 2023, Prigozhin ordered 25,000 of his troops on to a march for justice, which duly set out to confront the Russian president in Moscow
Under terms of the agreement that ended the crisis, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his Wagner troops in the failed uprising, will go into exile in Belarus but will not face prosecution
The brief revolt, though, exposed vulnerabilities among Russian government forces, with Wagner Group soldiers under the command of Yevgeny Prigozhin able to move unimpeded
Yevgeny Prigozhin's troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said
The announcement from Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin's leadership
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The governor of the region surrounding Russia's capital has suspended mass public events outdoors and at educational institutions until July 1
Russian Ministry of Defence noted that Moscow has already provided such assistance to all the fighters and commanders who applied for it. It further said that it would "guarantee everyone's safety"
He called Prigozhin's actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, a betrayal and a treason"
We will destroy anyone who stands in our way, Prigozhin said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday
Russia's security services had responded to Prigozhin's declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest