Russian MP says “no reason” to ban Wagner Group in Russia

Andriy Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Committee on Defense, believes that there is no reason to blacklist Wagner Group, which participated in the mutiny effort launched by their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

That’s according to Meduza, Ukrinform reports.

MP claims members of Wagner Group who were in Rostov-on-Don "didn't do anything wrong" because they "carried out the orders of their command". In his opinion, they "did not offend anyone, did not smash anything" and no one has any complaints against them - "neither the residents of Rostov, nor the servicemen of the Southern Military District, nor the law enforcement agencies."

Kartapolov noted that the fate of Wagner Group as such has not yet been determined. At the same time, he believes it is not necessary to ban the organization.

"Why should it be banned? After all, here all the questions are to be addressed to this group’s leader... The one who started the mutiny must answer. Traditionally, we just cut everything at the root," said the Russian deputy, adding that the Wagner is the most combat-capable unit in Russia, and "dispersing" it would be "the best gift for NATO and Ukraine."

As reported, on June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the "Wagner" PMC, went for a démarche against the Russian military leadership, in particular against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Prigozhin’s private army took control of Rostov-on-Don and part of Voronezh region on June 24, after which the Wagner leader ordered his mercenaries to advance on Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the insurrection attempt, calling it a blow to the country’s back and vowing “harsh punishment” for those involved.

Later the same day, Alexander Lukashenko, in coordination with Putin, held talks with Prigozhin. Following these negotiations, Lukashenko’s office reported a de-escalation deal involving Prigozhin being exiled to Belarus and no legal action being taken against Wagner forces.

The military convoy heading for Moscow made a U-turn just over a 100 miles away from the Russian capital. The mercenaries also withdrew from the captured Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don.

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, called the mutiny attempt the first stage in dismantling the system built up by Russian President Vladimir Putin.