{"id":8662,"date":"2023-06-27T14:10:15","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T13:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=8662"},"modified":"2023-06-27T14:19:10","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T13:19:10","slug":"russia-drops-charges-against-prigozhin-and-co-conspirators-in-short-lived-rebellion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/analysis\/defense\/war\/russia-drops-charges-against-prigozhin-and-co-conspirators-in-short-lived-rebellion\/2023\/06\/27\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia Drops Charges Against Prigozhin and Co-Conspirators in Short-Lived Rebellion"},"content":{"rendered":"

MOSCOW (AP)-Russian<\/span> authorities<\/span> have<\/span> announced<\/span> the<\/span> end<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> criminal<\/span> investigation<\/span> into<\/span> an<\/span> armed<\/span> uprising<\/span> led<\/span> by<\/span> mercenary<\/span> leader<\/span> Evgeny<\/span> Prigozhin.<\/span> The<\/span> Federal<\/span> Security<\/span> Service<\/span> (FSB)<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> had<\/span> decided<\/span> not<\/span> to<\/span> pursue<\/span> the<\/span> case<\/span> because<\/span> those<\/span> involved<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> rebellion<\/span> had<\/span> ceased<\/span> activities<\/span> related<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> crime.<\/span> The<\/span> acquittal<\/span> of<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> forces<\/span> contrasts<\/span> with<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> treatment<\/span> of<\/span> anti-government<\/span> protesters,<\/span> who<\/span> often<\/span> face<\/span> severe<\/span> punishment,<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> war<\/span> continues<\/span> to<\/span> pose<\/span> serious<\/span> challenges<\/span> to<\/span> President<\/span> Vladimir<\/span> Putin’s<\/span> retention<\/span> of<\/span> power.<\/span> In<\/span> stark<\/span> contrast.<\/span> This<\/span> article<\/span> examines<\/span> the<\/span> details<\/span> surrounding<\/span> the<\/span> uprising<\/span> and<\/span> its<\/span> aftermath.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>An<\/span> armed<\/span> uprising<\/span> led<\/span> by<\/span> Evgeny<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> ended<\/span> in<\/span> failure<\/span> and<\/span> lasted<\/span> less<\/span> than<\/span> 24<\/span> hours,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> a<\/span> statement<\/span> on<\/span> Friday.<\/span> However,<\/span> an<\/span> FSB<\/span> investigation<\/span> revealed<\/span> that<\/span> those<\/span> involved<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> rebellion<\/span> had<\/span> ceased<\/span> their<\/span> criminal<\/span> activities.<\/span> Therefore,<\/span> no<\/span> charges<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> filed<\/span> against<\/span> Prigogine<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> army.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Here<\/span> is<\/span> the<\/span> Kremlin’s<\/span> response:<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Kremlin<\/span> branded<\/span> the<\/span> rebels<\/span> as<\/span> traitors<\/span> and<\/span> took<\/span> immediate<\/span> action<\/span> to<\/span> bolster<\/span> Moscow’s<\/span> defenses,<\/span> but<\/span> vowed<\/span> not<\/span> to<\/span> prosecute<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> fighters<\/span> after<\/span> ending<\/span> Saturday’s<\/span> uprising.<\/span> .<\/span> This<\/span> lenient<\/span> treatment<\/span> stands<\/span> in<\/span> stark<\/span> contrast<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> harsh<\/span> penalties<\/span> imposed<\/span> on<\/span> opposition<\/span> figures<\/span> involved<\/span> in<\/span> anti-government<\/span> demonstrations<\/span> in<\/span> Russia.<\/span>\u00a0
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Evgeny<\/span> Prigozhin’s<\/span> whereabouts<\/span> remain<\/span> unknown<\/span> and<\/span> conflicting<\/span> reports<\/span> suggest<\/span> he<\/span> may<\/span> be<\/span> deported<\/span> to<\/span> his<\/span> neighboring<\/span> country<\/span> of<\/span> Belarus.<\/span> The<\/span> Belarusian<\/span> authorities<\/span> have<\/span> not<\/span> yet<\/span> confirmed<\/span> the<\/span> agreement.<\/span> Belarusian<\/span> President<\/span> Alexander<\/span> Lukashenko,<\/span> close<\/span> to<\/span> Putin,<\/span> brokered<\/span> a<\/span> deal<\/span> to<\/span> quell<\/span> the<\/span> uprising,<\/span> but<\/span> did<\/span> not<\/span> comment<\/span> on<\/span> Prigozhin’s<\/span> fate.<\/span> Lukashenko<\/span> portrayed<\/span> the<\/span> uprising<\/span> as<\/span> reflecting<\/span> a<\/span> personal<\/span> feud<\/span> between<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> and<\/span> Russian<\/span> Defense<\/span> Minister<\/span> Sergey<\/span> Shoigu,<\/span> rather<\/span> than<\/span> an<\/span> attempt<\/span> to<\/span> overthrow<\/span> Putin.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> a<\/span> nationally<\/span> televised<\/span> address,<\/span> Putin<\/span> criticized<\/span> the<\/span> organizers<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> uprising<\/span> without<\/span> mentioning<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> by<\/span> name.<\/span> He<\/span> praised<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> unity<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> face<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> crisis<\/span> and<\/span> praised<\/span> the<\/span> actions<\/span> of<\/span> Wagner’s<\/span> forces<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> in<\/span> avoiding<\/span> massive<\/span> bloodshed.<\/span> Putin<\/span> praised<\/span> the<\/span> military<\/span> and<\/span> police<\/span> for<\/span> averting<\/span> the<\/span> civil<\/span> war<\/span> and<\/span> praised<\/span> the<\/span> war<\/span> dead<\/span> who<\/span> lost<\/span> their<\/span> lives<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> rebellion.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> conclusion<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> investigation<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> uprising<\/span> raises<\/span> questions<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> future<\/span> of<\/span> Prigogine’s<\/span> mercenary<\/span> forces.<\/span> Putin<\/span> presented<\/span> the<\/span> Wagner<\/span> fighters<\/span> with<\/span> three<\/span> options.<\/span>
\n<\/span>He<\/span> joined<\/span> the<\/span> Russian<\/span> Ministry<\/span> of<\/span> Defense,<\/span> retired,<\/span> or<\/span> emigrated<\/span> to<\/span> Belarus.<\/span> The<\/span> decision<\/span> to<\/span> spare<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> from<\/span> prosecution<\/span> has<\/span> angered<\/span> some<\/span> Russian<\/span> war<\/span> bloggers<\/span> and<\/span> patriot<\/span> activists,<\/span> who<\/span> have<\/span> criticized<\/span> the<\/span> lack<\/span> of<\/span> accountability<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> deaths<\/span> caused<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> uprising.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>The<\/span> conclusion<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> investigation<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> armed<\/span> rebellion<\/span> led<\/span> by<\/span> Evgeny<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> adds<\/span> a<\/span> new<\/span> twist<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> ongoing<\/span> conflict<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> and<\/span> poses<\/span> a<\/span> serious<\/span> challenge<\/span> to<\/span> President<\/span> Putin’s<\/span> grip<\/span> on<\/span> power.<\/span> Responding<\/span> to<\/span> anti-government<\/span> protesters<\/span> in<\/span> Russia.<\/span> As<\/span> the<\/span> situation<\/span> develops,<\/span> the<\/span> fate<\/span> of<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> mercenaries<\/span> remains<\/span> uncertain,<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> repercussions<\/span> of<\/span> this<\/span> rebellion<\/span> will<\/span> continue<\/span> to<\/span> affect<\/span> Russian<\/span> politics<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> whole<\/span> and<\/span> relations<\/span> with<\/span> neighboring<\/span> Belarus.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MOSCOW (AP)-Russian authorities have announced the end of a criminal investigation into an armed uprising led by mercenary leader Evgeny Prigozhin. The Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had decided not to pursue the case because those involved in the rebellion had ceased activities related to the crime. The acquittal of Prigozhin and his forces […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[276,2480],"tags":[4426,5179,6958,7056,7057,7058],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG-20230626-WA0001.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8662"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8662"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8664,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8662\/revisions\/8664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}