Prigozhin tells Wagner soldiers they «fought honestly» after the mutiny

Prigozhin, seen here in April, told his men that they could return to Ukraine 'when we were sure we would not be put to shame' Photo: REUTERS/Yulia Morozova.

The failed Wagner mutiny on June 23-24 was interpreted by the West as a challenge to the rule of President Vladimir Putin, which illustrates the weakness of the 70-year-old Kremlin head and the strain of war on the Russian state.

Putin initially said he would crush the mutiny, comparing it to the wartime turmoil that led to the 1917 revolutions, but hours later a deal was struck allowing Prigozhin and some of his fighters to go to Belarus.

Since Prigozhin was last seen leaving the Russian city of Rostov on June 24, his fate has been shrouded in mystery after Putin called him a traitor. It's also unclear what Wagner, who according to Prigozhin had 25,000 men, will do next.

The video was taken after nightfall, although you could see what looked like Prigozhin's profile and a group of men.

After an agreement was reached to end the mutiny, the Kremlin sought to create an atmosphere of calm: Putin chaired various meetings, met with the crowd in Dagestan, and even discussed quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

Russian officials reject the Western interpretation of the mutiny and say that the West should not worry about such «scratches».

The video also shows how Prigozhin receives Wagner's black flag with the motto «K Blood, Honor, Motherland, Courage” from their camp in southern Russia.

Last week, Belarus said that Wagner fighters were instructing its soldiers at a military training ground southeast of Minsk.

Prigozhin said his mutiny was supposed to settle scores with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (left) and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. Photo: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS

P Rigozhin in the video says that his people should behave towards the locals and orders them to train the Belarusian army and gather strength for a “new trip to Africa”.

“And perhaps we will return to the SMO (special military operation in Ukraine) at some point when we are sure that we will not be made to shame ourselves,” said Prigozhin.

Wagner was founded by Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, a former special forces officer of the Russian military intelligence GRU, as a way for Russia to participate in wars in countries such as Syria, Libya and Mali, in complete denial.

Wagner helped Russia annex Crimea in 2014, fought Islamists State fighters in Syria operated in the Central African Republic and Mali, and earlier this year captured the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut for Russia, with significant losses on both sides.

Prigozhin said his rebellion was not aimed at overthrowing Putin, but at settling scores with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

< p>After Prigogine's speech, the man identified as Utkin then turned to the men.

“ This is not the end. This is just the beginning of the biggest work in the world, which will be carried out very soon,” Utkin said in Russian.