Russian President Vladimir Putin paid tribute to pilots killed during the Wagner mutiny, confirming earlier reports from military bloggers that several aircraft were shot down by the Wagner group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin. In his first public address regarding the mutiny, Putin stated, "The courage and sacrifice of the fallen heroic pilots saved Russia from devastating tragic consequences," asserting that "the mutiny posed a threat to the existence of Russia and its perpetrators will not escape punishment." He believed that Russia's enemies wanted to see the country "stuck in a bloody civil war."
Putin thanked the people, the army, law enforcement, and security agencies in Russia for their commitment to unity in protecting the "homeland," emphasizing that this demonstrated Russia would not succumb "to any extortion or any attempts to sow disorder internally." He confirmed that he intentionally allowed the mutiny to continue on Saturday as long as it prevented bloodshed. Without mentioning Prigozhin by name, Putin indicated that Wagner fighters who chose not to sign contracts with the military under an order from the Ministry of Defense could either relocate to Belarus or simply return to their families.
No official information was provided regarding the number of pilots who perished or the total amount of aircraft shot down. Some Russian Telegram channels monitoring Russian military activity, including the "Rybar" blog with over a million subscribers, reported that 13 Russian pilots were killed during the mutiny that lasted throughout last Saturday.
Deputy Leonid Slutskin, who was involved in negotiations regarding Moscow's campaign in Ukraine, stated, "I believe that leniency should not apply to those rebels who killed pilots," considering that "they must be brought to justice and face the harshest penalties." On Saturday, Wagner fighters took control of the city of Rostov in southern Russia and its military command center directing operations in Ukraine, before aborting their mutiny while leading an armed convoy 200 kilometers from Moscow.
