Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Kommersant newspaper that he offered Wagner mercenaries an opportunity to continue serving after their failed revolt.
“Nothing would have changed for them,” Putin said.
“All of them could have gathered in one place and continued to serve,” he said, recalling his meeting with the 35 Wagner individuals.
“They would have been led by the same person who was their real commander all this time,” Putin added.
The offer to Wagner was one of several “possible options for their further services, including in combat,” the news agency reported.
Putin also noted that as there are no laws for a “private military organization,” the Wagner group is in a legal predicament.
“There’s such a group, but legally it doesn’t exist [and] it’s a separate issue related to legalization that should be discussed in the State Duma and the government,” Putin explained.
Moving forward, Russia may grant legal status to private military groups, as Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “This issue will be considered.”
Reporting from The Moscow Times:
Putin did not clarify whether his offer to Wagner entailed staying in Russia or going into exile in neighboring Belarus, as part of an original deal to end the June 23-24 crisis. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who had mediated talks between Putin and Prigozhin, claimed earlier this week that Wagner fighters would be deployed in his country to “train” the Belarusian military. Prigozhin turned down the offer, Putin told Kommersant, suggesting, however, that some Wagner commanders themselves were prepared to accept.
