Putin Accuses Wagner Mercenaries of 'Treason'

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the Wagner mercenary group of “treason,” in an address on Saturday, June 24, after the group’s leader claimed to have control of key sites in a city in southern Russia.

In a five-minute national address, Putin referred to the Russian Revolution of 1917, and said what was unfolding was “a stab in the back of our country and our people,” according to a machine translation.

“And what we are faced with is precisely a betrayal. Exorbitant ambitions and personal interests led to treason,” he said. Credit: Kremlin via Storyful