Thus, Putin confirmed earlier reports by military bloggers, who said that Wagner forces had shot down Russian army planes during the rebellion.
On Saturday, the “Wagner” militants took control of the city of Rostov in southern Russia and its military command center, which directs the military attack on Ukraine, then led an armed convoy 200 kilometers from Moscow, before aborting their rebellion based on an agreement.
“The courage and sacrifice of the fallen heroic pilots saved Russia from devastating, tragic consequences,” Putin said in his first public address on the mutiny.
The Kremlin did not make an official announcement about the planes that Wagner said it had shot down during its march towards Moscow, nor was there any official information about the number of pilots who died, or the number of planes that fell.
Some Russian media outlets that monitor military activity there, including the Rebar blog, which has more than a million subscribers on Telegram, reported Saturday that 13 Russian pilots had been killed during the daylong mutiny.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports, nor was it clear in what circumstances the planes were shot down and the pilots killed.
On the other hand, Putin confirmed that he had given orders to “avoid bloodshed other than what the West and Ukraine wanted in the rebellion,” he said, while praising the “patriotism” of the Russians.
He said, “Since the events began, I have taken measures based on my direct instructions to avoid great bloodshed,” noting that the West and Ukraine wanted “fratricidal fighting.”
He thanked the Russians for their “steadfastness, unity and patriotism,” which showed that “any blackmail and any attempt to stir up internal unrest is doomed to failure,” as he put it.
As for the “Wagner” fighters, they were offered to sign a contract with the regular army or to “return to their families” or “to go to Belarus,” the allied country that Prigozhin is supposed to go to, according to the agreement to end the rebellion.
Putin again accused the “Wagner” president, without naming him, of “betraying his country and people and lying to his fighters.”
But he continued: “The vast majority of the fighters and commanders of the Wagner Group are also patriotic Russians loyal to their people and the state. They have proven this through their bravery on the battlefield.”
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