According to the Kremlin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary organization, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 29, five days after the group marched toward Moscow in a brief uprising.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia (AP)
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia (AP)

Putin invited 35 people to the meeting, including unit commanders, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who told reporters that it lasted three hours. According to Peskov, the Wagner leaders assured Putin that they were his men and would stand with him in battle.

Since assuming the role of Russia's supreme leader on the final day of 1999, Putin has faced serious challenges to his grasp on power. The brief uprising led by Prigozhin saw Wagner fighters seize control of Rostov in the south.

Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, mediated a deal to defuse it. Putin has since expressed gratitude to his military and security forces for preventing anarchy and civil war.

According to Prigozhin, the army and defense leaders were targeted for "bringing to justice" for their mistakes and careless behavior in Ukraine, not for overturning the government.