In the first public appearance among his forces since the rebellion of the “Wagner” military group, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected his elements and supervised the training of newly formed units, composed of contract soldiers, in a veiled message to the rebel group.
The Russian Ministry of Defense published a video clip on its Telegram channel, today (Saturday), during which Shoigu appeared, dressed in military uniform, inspecting the soldiers at a shooting range. According to the ministry, Shoigu himself supervised the training of contract soldiers for combat operations in various conditions, including combat in urban areas.
Last Monday, Shoigu said, in his first comment on the rebellion, that the latter did not affect the military operation that Russia is conducting in Ukraine. He considered that attempts to destabilize Russia had failed, stressing that the army showed full loyalty to the Russian leadership.
Last June, the Wagner commander announced, surprisingly, that his forces had entered the Russian lands and headed towards the capital, Moscow, as the head of the group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, demanded the dismissal of Shoigu and the Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov.
However, after nearly 24 hours, Belarus entered the mediation line between Prigozhin and Moscow. This sudden and short adventure ended with the exile of the Wagner leader to Belarusian lands, to announce from there that his goal was not to overthrow the Russian government or the rule of President Vladimir Putin, but rather to protect the Wagner Group.
Russian President Putin gave the Wagner operatives the choice to either leave for Belarus, join the Russian forces, or return to their homes.
