The Facts
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the mercenary group Wagner PMC, met with Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin on June 29 — five days after launching a short-lived armed revolt against Moscow — Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed on Monday.
Though he did not provide additional detail, Peskov stated that Wagner commanders, including Prigozhin, pledged loyalty to Putin in the three-hour meeting, expressing their support to the commander-in-chief and their readiness to keep fighting for Russia.
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
Russia faces a number of challenges at this time. It's not only engaged in war with the West but also embroiled in an economic and information war. In order to meet these challenges, Russia must unite as one.
Anti-Russia narrative
The staged Wagner rebellion was a classic false flag to deceive the West into thinking the Kremlin is weak while boosting Putin's political power and recruitment for the army. Now that even the Kremlin acknowledges that the mercenary chief met Putin, their collusion is obvious to everyone.
Narrative C
Wagner's mutiny demonstrated that Putin's rule is becoming severely weakened. In a very short time, Prigozhin managed to gain support from elements across Russian society and the Russian government, making his rebellion even more worrisome for Putin. Indeed, Russia could be on the brink of a serious internal conflict.