Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in his latest overnight address, said the military forces “advanced in all directions”, describing it as a happy day.
“Today – the front. Donetsk region, Zaporizhzhia. Our warriors, our frontline positions, areas of active operations at the front,” the Ukraine President said following a meeting with his generals.
“Today, our warriors have advanced in all directions, and this is a happy day. I wished the guys more days like this.”
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a desperate message to the Russian public.
He said mutiny organizers tried to force the Wagner group’s soldiers “to shoot their own”, without naming the mercenary unit’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, adding that any attempt to blackmail Russia or foment unrest would fail, after an armed rebellion shook his more than two decades of rule.
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“Civilian solidarity showed that any blackmail, any attempts to organize internal turmoil, is doomed to fail,” Putin said in a televised address.
Putin insisted that he directly ordered that steps were taken “to avoid a lot of bloodshed” during the mutiny which he claimed was “resolutely rejected by society” – despite clips appearing to show Rostov-on-Don residents bringing Wagner troops food as they occupied the city.
He warned that fighters employed by the mercenary outfit Wagner could join the military or leave for Belarus after the group carried out an armed revolt.
“Today you have the possibility to continue serving Russia by entering into a contract with the ministry of defence or other law enforcement agencies, or to return to your family and close ones… Whoever wants to can go to Belarus,” Putin said.
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He also thanked his security officials for their work during an armed rebellion in a meeting that included Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu — a main target of the mutiny.
“I gathered you to thank you for the work that was done,” Putin told the officials after a revolt by Wagner mercenaries that aimed to bring down Moscow’s top brass.
It was the first time Shoigu was seen in public since the rebellion, while Moscow’s top general Valery Gerasimov — who Wagner fighters also wanted to unseat — was not seen in footage of the meeting released by the Kremlin.
