Vladimir Putin has tried to reassert his power with a staged visit by Russia’s defence minister to troops in his first public appearance since Wagner’s attempted coup threatened his regime.
In a mutiny during which he seized control of Russia‘s military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had demanded that Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff, be handed over to him so that he could “restore justice.”
But in a clip, he was seen flying in a plane with a colleague and hearing reports at a command post run by Russia‘s Zapad (West) military grouping.
Prigozhin accused both men of gross incompetence and corruption and had long been agitating for their removal.
The coup was called off at the 11th hour after a deal was brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Wagner’s forces were about four hours away from Moscow when news of the dramatic turnaround came.
The deal included immunity for the mutineers in exchange for their return to camps, but it remains unclear whether Putin also agreed to reshuffle the top military leadership.
