Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday praised members of the Russian military and security forces that participated in ending the rebellion of Wagner forces, while Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed the arrival of Wagner Group Chairman Yevgeny Prigozhin in Belarus.
Speaking to about 2500,<> members of the security forces, national guard and military gathered in a square in the Kremlin compound, Putin said Russia's people and armed forces stood shoulder to shoulder against the Wagner Group rebellion.
Speaking at a ceremony honoring soldiers fighting the insurgency, Putin said that if the military insurgency had succeeded, Russia would have lost many of the achievements of the special military operation in Ukraine.
The Russian president stressed that the financing of the Wagner Group was the responsibility of the Russian government, especially the Ministry of Defense, noting that the financing of this company cost the state budget 86 billion rubles within one year, which is equivalent to one billion and 100 million dollars.
Among those in attendance was Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whose dismissal was among the demands of Wagner fighters during the insurgency.
Putin also asked attendees to observe a minute's silence in memory of Russian pilots killed during the rebellion. Wagner fighters shot down several planes as they marched toward Moscow, although they encountered no resistance on the ground.
Wagner charges dropped
Earlier on Tuesday, RIA news agency said the FSB had dropped criminal charges against Wagner commander Yevgeny Prigozhin and others linked to the group's armed rebellion last Saturday that ended within hours under a deal brokered by the Belarusian president.
The dropping of charges was one of the key provisions of the deal allowing Wagner fighters to head to Belarus, but doubts were raised after Russia's three major news agencies said on Tuesday the criminal case had not been closed.
In the same context, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted the Russian "defense" that the Wagner Group is preparing to hand over its heavy military equipment to the ministry.
In a related context, Putin held a meeting to discuss the consequences of the rebellion with the prosecutor general, the ministers of interior and defense, the director of the Federal Security Service and the head of the National Guard.
RIA Novosti quoted the head of the Russian National Guard Viktor Zolotov as saying that the guard - which does not have tanks - will be equipped with heavy weapons and tanks, noting that he discussed the matter with President Putin.
At the same time, TASS quoted Zolotov as saying that Wagner fighters would not have been able to control Moscow even if they had arrived.
The Kremlin said today that "the rallying of Russian society around Putin is at its highest level."
He stressed that the solution to the insurgency crisis is mainly due to President Putin's efforts and "his will to prevent events from developing into the worst-case scenario."
The fate of Prigozhin
In a new development, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was quoted by state news agency Belta as saying on Tuesday that Prigozhin was now in Belarus.
Prigozhin's plane arrived in Belarus today from Russia, three days after his insurgency abruptly ceased as the group's fighters marched towards the capital, Moscow.
A deal brokered by Lukashenko on Saturday that ended Wagner's rebellion in Russia included Prigozhin heading to Belarus while his men were given the option to join him or integrate into Russia's regular armed forces.
Lukashenko also said his Defense Minister Viktor Khrenikov had told him he did not mind having a unit like Wagner in the Belarusian army. Lukashenko instructed the defense minister to negotiate with Prigozhen on the matter.
Lukashenko warnings
On the other hand, the president of Belarus stated that he gave orders to all commanders of his army to fully combat readiness during the recent events in Russia.
In his remarks today, Lukashenko said that the Belarusian opposition was ready to carry out an insurgency - as he described - against the backdrop of events in Russia.
"If Russia falls, we will remain under the rubble and we will all end," Lukashenko said, noting that tensions between Wagner and the Russian military had not been properly addressed.
He also said Belarus clearly sees "a new wave of NATO expansion and an unprecedented accumulation of the potential of NATO countries, including near our borders." He added that the threat of global conflict had never been as close as it is today.