Putin Wants to Kill Prigozhin, Offers Wagner Fighters Amnesty: Reports

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly is offering amnesty to Wagner Group soldiers who lay their arms down immediately and tasked his security forces to “eliminate” Wagner Grouper leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to reports on Saturday.

Wagner Group, one of the preeminent private military companies in Russia, is in the midst of an armed conflict against the Russian government, claiming to have taken control of military sites in at least one city, Rostov-on-Don. Prigozhin declared war against the Russian Ministry of Defense after the Russian military allegedly carried out an attack against and killed some of his Wagner troops who were stationed in Ukraine.

Russian lawmaker Pavel Krasheninnikov wrote on Telegram that Wagner Group fighters can still “lay down their arms and avoid punishment, given their merits in the special military operation,” but that they need to do it “as soon as possible,” according to Russian-state news agency Tass.

iStories also reported that according to a source close to the Russian military’s general staff, Putin tasked his security forces to “eliminate” Prigozhin and offer amnesty to Wagner fighters in hopes of avoiding clashes with the group in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) delivers a video address on Saturday as Wagner Group fighters stage a rebellion. Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, (right) is seen on a post via the Wagner’s Telegram on Saturday. Putin reportedly is offering amnesty to Wagner Group soldiers who lay their arms down immediately and tasked his security forces to “eliminate” Prigozhin, according to reports on Saturday. GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images; Telegram

Former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe, Ben Hodges, told Newsweek on Saturday, “It’s too early to have great certainty about the actual state of the Wagner Mutiny. Things are moving fast. It’s difficult to establish with any certainty what’s actually going on in many of the places…lots of conflicting information, rumors, and confusion out there.”

When asked about the reports of Russia offering amnesty to Wagner fighters, Hodges said, “I seriously doubt any Wagner troops would accept amnesty. They won’t trust any of the Regime. And they probably have a lot more support than is already evident to us in the public. Otherwise, I don’t think this would have actually started. This is much better organized than the Turkish military coup attempt just a few years ago.”

Rajan Menon, Director of Grand Strategy at Defense Priorities, also told Newsweek on Saturday: “Putin now faces the biggest challenge to his authority and grip on power that he ever has since becoming president in 2000. The report that he is offering amnesty to Wagner troops, if true, suggests that he may be attempting to separate them, or some of them, from Yevgeny Prigozhin so as to isolate him.”

Menon continued: “As to the theory that Putin may wish to have Prigozhin killed, such a move could well make the situation worse, and it may be better to try him for the crime he has been accused of committing, namely fomenting an armed rebellion against the Russian state.”

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, also tweeted about the report on Saturday, writing: “Putin wants to kill Prigozhin and is even ready to grant amnesty to all Wagner PMC fighters who liquidate mercenary head – Russian Media, citing sources close to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”

Meanwhile, Putin on Saturday called Wagner Group’s rebellion a “stab in the back” and vowed to take “decisive action.”

“Those who have organized an armed rebellion will be held accountable,” Putin said in a televised address without referring to Wagner or Prigozhin. “Those who have been drawn into this I call on you to stop your criminal actions.”

The Russian leader also described the actions by Prigozhin and Wagner as “treason” and said those responsible “will be punished” and that “the armed forces have been given the necessary orders.” Prigozhin hit back, saying in a video address that Putin was “deeply mistaken” and that “we are patriots of our motherland.”

Hodges on Saturday said that the Russian president’s order to direct the Russian military and the state’s security services to destroy Wagner, along with Prigozhin’s response, “raises this to a much higher level of potential violence…perhaps even to a civil war.”