Putin Praises Russian Military for Averting “Civil War” and Preventing Further Violence and Civilian Deaths

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the country’s armed forces on Tuesday for preventing further violence and civilian deaths over the weekend. Putin made the remarks while speaking to members of the armed forces in Moscow’s Cathedral Square, a symbolic spot where tsars held their coronations.

The president credited the military and law enforcement officers of the Russian Federation for averting an all out “civil war” by persuading mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to call off his armed march on Moscow. Prigozhin had been in an escalating feud with the country’s military leaders, accusing them of corruption, rank incompetence and killing.

Prigozhin was convicted of murder three years ago and sentenced to a long prison term, but he was freed after volunteering to fight with the Wagner Group as a private military contractor. Despite police promises to keep an eye on the 28-year-old former inmate, he was arrested in a nearby town on charges of stabbing to death an elderly woman from whom he once rented a room.

The Russian military’s successful de-escalation of the situation has been praised by President Putin and the country’s citizens alike. Putin thanked the military and law enforcement officers for their efforts in preventing further violence and civilian deaths, and expressed his gratitude for their service.