Russia’s Defense Ministry said Wagner mercenaries surrendered thousands of weapons including battle tanks following the mutiny that became the most serious threat to President Vladimir Putin’s 24-year rule.
(Bloomberg) — Russia’s Defense Ministry said Wagner mercenaries surrendered thousands of weapons including battle tanks following the mutiny that became the most serious threat to President Vladimir Putin’s 24-year rule.
The arsenal of more than 2,000 pieces included T-90 and T-80 tanks, Grad and Hurricane multiple-launch rocket systems, Pantsir surface-to-air missiles, artillery systems and armored personnel carriers, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday on its Telegram channel.
More than 2,500 tons of ammunition and 20,000 small arms were also handed over to the military, he said.
There were “dozens of pieces that have never been used in combat,” Konashenkov added, an apparent retort to accusations by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin that the Defense Ministry starved his forces of arms and ammunition during fierce fighting for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
There was no mention of how many Wagner troops signed contracts to join the military by a July 1 deadline set by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, one of the triggers for Prigozhin’s revolt.
The announcement of the weapons transfer followed the Kremlin’s disclosure on Monday that Putin met Prigozhin and 35 Wagner commanders for nearly three hours of talks on June 29, just five days after the uprising that the president said had brought Russia to the brink of “civil war.”
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Prigozhin hasn’t been seen in public since calling off the brief mutiny June 24 under a deal brokered by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. His forces had advanced to within 200 kilometers (124 miles) of Moscow, with little resistance from the army, as he sought to oust Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, blaming them for battlefield failures in Russia’s war in Ukraine and claiming they wanted to “destroy” Wagner.
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Gerasimov was shown on state television Monday for the first time since the revolt. Shoigu has also been shown visiting military facilities as the Kremlin has attempted to reassert Putin’s authority after the crisis that shattered his invincible image as Russian leader.
All of Wagner’s weapons and equipment have been taken to rear bases for repair and maintenance so they can be used by the army “as intended,” Konashenkov said.
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