Russian President Vladimir Putin said he offered mercenaries from the Wagner private military company the option of continuing to serve as a single unit under their same commander when he met with them after the group’s brief revolt last month that posed the most serious threat to his 23-year rule.
Putin’s comments, published Friday, appeared to reflect his efforts to secure the loyalty of Wagner mercenaries, some of the most capable Russian forces in Ukraine, while the fate of their chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, remains unclear.
They also came amid new cracks appearing in the Russian military as the war grinds through its 17th month and Ukraine conducts a counteroffensive against the invading forces.
