Putin slams Wagner leader, 'enemies of Russia'

In his first appearance since a brief weekend rebellion ended, Russian President Vladimir Putin took aim at the perpetrators behind the uprising, calling them "enemies of Russia and neo-nazis."

Hi, it's Julius with an update on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

Putin said the rebellion would have been suppressed if it had continued, crediting Russian patriotism as the reason for the quick end of the revolt.

"I thank all our military personnel, law enforcement officers and special servicemen who stood in the path of the rebels, remained faithful to their duty, oath and their people," Putin said.

The Russian president also thanked most of the mercenaries for not letting the situation deteriorate into “bloodshed,” saying many of them were loyal Russians who were misled, apparently putting most of the blame on Prigozhin.

"We knew and know that the overwhelming majority of the fighters and commanders of the Wagner group are Russian patriots, devoted to their people and the state," he said. "They proved it on the battlefield, liberating the Donbass and Novorossiya."

Earlier Monday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the mercenary Wagner Group, said he halted his campaign because he didn’t want to spill Russian blood and because the goal was protest, not regime change.

“We started our march because of an injustice,” Prigozhin said in a video statement. 

More on the Russia-Ukraine crisis:

• The Russian opposition publication Meduza says Prigozhin’s demands in the hours after the coup began included the ouster of Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu, autonomy over Wagner’s affairs and more funding.
• President Joe Biden, in his first public remarks on the situation in Russia, said the U.S. had nothing to do with the rebellion and that it is “too early” to determine what impact it will have.