Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked the nation for standing together in the face of a short-lived armed rebellion led by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary group. Steps were taken to "neutralize the threat" and "avoid a lot of bloodshed," and Putin thanked the government and citizens for rallying behind "the fate of the Fatherland." The rebellion ended with Prigozhin's troops retreating, and Putin emphasized that time was taken to give those who made a mistake a chance to think again and understand their actions.