Russia-Ukraine war news: Putin lauds Russian pilots killed by Wagner
Russian President Vladimir Putin has paid tribute to “fallen heroes-pilots” in his first public address since the mutiny led by Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin over the weekend. Putin confirmed earlier reports that Russian jets had been downed and pilots killed by Wagner’s mercenaries.
In his address Monday, Putin said the “vast majority” of Wagner fighters were patriots and would be allowed to move to neighboring Belarus as promised if they chose not to sign up to the Russian army or go home. But he lashed out at “the organizers of the rebellion” for betraying Russia, without directly naming Prigozhin. Putin had initially enlisted the Wagner Group to help him in the invasion of Ukraine.
Source: The Washington Post
