In a televised address to the nation on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Russian citizens for the unity and patriotism shown in the face of the Wagner group's attempted military uprising.
"Any blackmail or attempts to create internal destabilization in Russia are doomed to failure," the president said, noting that the position of all sectors of the population was firm and unequivocal in support of the constitutional order.
"Everyone was united by the main thing: responsibility for the destiny of the homeland," Putin said. He also expressed gratitude to the military, law enforcement, and intelligence services, as well as to the hero pilots who rose up to stop the mutineers.
Putin also thanked Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for his contribution to the resolution of the mutiny. In this regard, he noted, "We know that most of the fighters and commanders of the Wagner are Russian patriots, devoted to their people and their state. They proved it with their courage on the battlefield, liberating Donbass and Novorossiya."
The head of state said that he personally ordered measures from the very beginning of the events aimed at preventing bloodshed and giving time to those who made a mistake to rethink their actions.
The president thanked Wagner's fighters, "who made the only correct decision and refused to start fratricidal bloodshed." Putin confirmed the agreement reached on Saturday, according to which Wagner members who wish to do so can leave for Belarus, return home, or re-enlist in the Russian army.
"The promise I made will be kept. I repeat: the choice is yours, but I am sure that it will be the choice of Russian soldiers who have realized their tragic mistake," Putin said.