Russia’s Federal Safety Service introduced Tuesday that it has closed a prison probe into the armed revolt led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The service, recognized by the initials FSB, stated its investigation discovered that these concerned within the mutiny “ceased actions directed at committing the crime.” With that and different “related circumstances,” the company closed the case on Tuesday — in step with the guarantees the Kremlin gave over the weekend to not prosecute Prigozhin and his fighters after he stopped the revolt.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows under.
The whereabouts of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin remained a thriller Tuesday after Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as once more blasted organizers of a weekend revolt as traitors who performed into the arms of Ukraine’s government and its allies.
The Kremlin has stated Prigozhin could be exiled to neighboring Belarus, however neither he nor the Belarusian authorities have confirmed that. An impartial Belarusian army monitoring undertaking Belaruski Hajun stated a enterprise jet that Prigozhin reportedly makes use of landed close to Minsk on Tuesday morning.
The media group for Prigozhin, the 62-year-old head of the Wagner private military contractor, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Prigozhin’s short-lived rebellion over the weekend — the largest problem to Putin’s rule in additional than 20 years in energy — has rattled Russia’s management.
Putin on Monday evening sought to project stability and management in a brief, nationally televised handle, wherein he criticized the rebellion’s “organizers,” with out naming Prigozhin. He additionally praised Russian unity within the face of the disaster, in addition to rank-and-file Wagner fighters for not letting the scenario descend into “main bloodshed.”
Earlier within the day, Prigozhin defended his actions in a defiant audio assertion. He once more taunted the Russian army however stated he hadn’t been in search of to stage a coup in opposition to Putin.
In one other present of stability and management, the Kremlin on Monday evening confirmed Putin assembly with high safety, legislation enforcement and army officers, together with Protection Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom Prigozhin had sought to take away.
Putin thanked his group for his or her work over the weekend, implying assist for the embattled Shoigu. Earlier, the authorities launched a video of Shoigu reviewing troops in Ukraine.
Prigozhin’s destiny is unsure. The Kremlin has promised to drop a prison probe in opposition to him on the fees of mounting a revolt, however Russian media reviews Monday stated the case hasn’t been closed.
It additionally wasn’t clear whether or not he would have the ability to maintain his mercenary drive. In his speech, Putin provided Prigozhin’s fighters to both come beneath Russia’s Protection Ministry’s command, depart service or go to Belarus.
Prigozhin stated Monday, with out elaborating, that the Belarusian management proposed options that may permit Wagner to function “in a authorized jurisdiction,” nevertheless it was unclear what that meant.
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Observe AP’s protection of the warfare in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine