Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said Monday that his mercenaries were not trying to topple the leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin when they marched on Moscow over the weekend.
In an 11-minute audio message posted Monday, Prigozhin said he was "categorically against" a decision to close Wagner and sign contracts with the military by July 1.
"We didn't march to overthrow Russia's leadership," he said in the video. "The aim of the march was to avoid destruction of Wagner and to hold to account the officials who through their unprofessional actions have committed a massive number of errors."
Prigozhin, who is reportedly in Belarus, said its President Alexander Lukashenko played a part in ending the brief rebellion. He said Lukashenko "extended his hand and offered to find ways for Wagner to continue its work legally."
Considered once a part of Putin's inner circle, Prigozhin continued to criticize Russian military leadership, went on to claim if his mercenary group was in charge during the early days of Russia's invasion that it would be over by now.
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