Putin vows to brutally punish 'traitor' Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries

Vladimir Putin has promised to “brutally” punish Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries for launching an armed rebellion. In his first speech since Mr Prigozhin declared an attack on the Russian military on Friday evening, Mr Putin said that he had ordered his security services to capture the “traitors”. “Anyone who consciously goes along the path of betrayal, who is prepared for armed mutiny, and takes the course of blackmail and terrorist actions, will receive an inevitable punishment,” he said. Mr Putin avoided mentioning Mr Prigozhin by name in his 6-minute speech in the Kremlin and instead appealed directly to his armed forces and ordinary Russians not to back the rebels who have “betrayed” Russia. Continue reading the full article: Subscribe to The Telegraph with our special offer: just £1 for 3 months. Start your free trial now: