DONETSK, June 25. /TASS/. The situation around PMC Wagner rallied support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Denis Pushilin, the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), told Soloviev Live TV show.
"This was yet another push for greater support for President Putin from both pro-government and opposition parties," Pushilin maintained as he said that such things could happen in Russia only where "the biggest difficulties and the most severe threats bring us together," he emphasized.
On the evening of June 23, several audio recordings were posted on Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Telegram channel. He particularly claimed that his units had come under attack, which he blamed on the country’s military authorities. The Federal Security Service (FSB) launched a criminal probe into calls for armed mutiny. The Russian Defense Ministry slammed the allegations of a strike on the PMC Wagners "rear camps" as fake news. The FSB cautioned Wagner fighters against following Prigozhin’s orders and called on them to detain him.
Russian President Vladimir 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.
Later on Saturday, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, in coordination with Putin, held talks with Prigozhin working out a de-escalation plan. Later, Prigozhin said that PMC Wagner was halting the movement of its convoys which appeared to be headed toward Moscow, turning them back and returning to field camps.