President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Tuesday tried to recast the weekend riot by the mercenary chief Yevgeny V. Prigozhin as a heroic episode for a rock-solid Russian state, whereas neighboring Belarus mentioned Mr. Prigozhin had gone into exile there, and signaled that it will be open to taking in his battle-hardened troops, as properly.

Russia’s home intelligence company mentioned it was dropping its legal investigation of Mr. Prigozhin, who drove fighters from his Wagner group towards Moscow earlier than standing down on Saturday, and the Protection Ministry mentioned that Wagner was making ready at hand over its heavy tools to the navy.

However even because the Kremlin projected an air of management and stability, high officers made clear that the fallout was not completed, signaling that it would root out individuals who had been tied to the mercenary chief or who had been insufficiently steadfast in assist of Mr. Putin in the course of the disaster.

In a televised assembly with navy service members in Moscow, Mr. Putin instructed that Mr. Prigozhin — whose title he has refused to utter publicly in latest days — or folks linked to him is likely to be responsible of graft. He mentioned that Mr. Prigozhin, a catering magnate, had made roughly $1 billion from navy catering contracts prior to now yr, and that the federal government had spent one other $1 billion supporting the Wagner forces who’ve been brutally efficient in preventing for Russia in Ukraine.

“I would like everybody to know this: The assist for the Wagner group was fully supplied by the state,” Mr. Putin mentioned, earlier than concluding with a warning: “I hope that in the midst of this work, nobody stole something — or, let’s say, didn’t steal a lot — however we will definitely resolve this.”

It continued a shift within the opaque energy dynamics of Russia’s ruling elite, the place cronyism and corruption can supply a tolerated path to affect and riches — except the folks concerned run afoul of these on the high. What the president didn’t acknowledge was that Mr. Prigozhin rose to prominence and wealth based mostly totally on his longtime former closeness to Mr. Putin, himself.

The chairman of Russia’s decrease home of Parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, directed lawmakers to find out which authorities officers had fled Moscow in the course of the riot and declared that “this ought to be punished.”

In a grandly choreographed and televised outside look on the Kremlin, Mr. Putin descended a protracted, red-carpeted staircase and delivered a speech from a stage on the medieval-era Cathedral Sq., which was adopted by a gun salute and music from a navy band. He paid tribute to the troops and safety forces who he mentioned had proven “dedication and braveness” in defending Moscow on Saturday as Wagner forces superior to inside 125 miles of the capital.

“A few of our comrades in arms died within the confrontation with the mutineers,” he mentioned. “Airmen. They didn’t flinch, and, with honor, carried out their order and their navy responsibility.”

Mr. Putin’s busy day earlier than the tv cameras confirmed that the Kremlin was intent on taking management of the general public narrative after Russia’s incapacity to forestall a insurgent pressure from seizing a significant metropolis and advancing lots of of miles towards Moscow shocked the world. Wagner’s seize of Rostov-on-Don and march on the capital appeared to threaten civil battle — and probably catastrophe for Russia’s battle effort in Ukraine — till it ended abruptly on Saturday.

President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus mentioned that in a telephone name on Saturday, Mr. Putin, his shut ally, raised the choice of merely killing Mr. Prigozhin, however that he had satisfied the Russian president “to not do something rash.” His model of the dialog couldn’t be verified independently, and the Kremlin didn’t instantly touch upon it.

Mr. Lukashenko performed middleman within the deal that halted the riot and supplied asylum to Mr. Prigozhin, with the promise that he wouldn’t be prosecuted by Russia.

A Russian-registered jet that has been linked to the Wagner boss flew on Tuesday from Russia to Belarus, in keeping with flight monitoring web sites, and Belarus’s state information service mentioned he had arrived within the nation. There was no affirmation from Mr. Prigozhin himself.

Talking at a ceremony honoring navy officers in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, Mr. Lukashenko mentioned he had mentioned along with his protection minister, Viktor G. Khrenin, the opportunity of welcoming Wagner fighters to his nation. “Khrenin mentioned, ‘It will not trouble me to have such a unit within the military,’” Mr. Lukashenko mentioned. He added that he had replied, “I agree. Discuss to them.”

He mentioned he had supplied Wagner an “deserted” navy base, however burdened that no camps had been being constructed specifically for the mercenary group. His feedback had been recorded and broadcast by Belarusian state media.

The standing of Wagner troops in Ukraine, whose numbers Mr. Prigozhin has estimated at 25,000, gave the impression to be on the coronary heart of his break with the Kremlin. For months he has accused the navy hierarchy, notably Protection Minister Sergei Okay. Shoigu, of incompetence within the battle towards Ukraine, and of depriving Wagner of wanted assets.

Mr. Prigozhin mentioned on Monday that he by no means meant to overthrow the federal government, however instructed that he had aimed to oust navy leaders like Mr. Shoigu. His short-lived rebellion, he mentioned, “was to forestall the destruction of Wagner and to deliver to justice these individuals who, by their unprofessional actions, made an enormous variety of errors.”

Final month, the federal government ordered that every one irregular forces preventing in Ukraine signal contracts with the Protection Ministry by July 1, this coming Saturday, stripping Wagner of its independence. Mr. Prigozhin protested bitterly that his pressure was being destroyed and mentioned most of his troops wouldn’t signal, however Mr. Putin backed the order, definitively siding with the ministry within the energy battle.

Mr. Shoigu has been featured prominently in state media information protection during the last two days, in what gave the impression to be a present of stability and a vote of confidence. He was seen at Mr. Putin’s speech on Tuesday, at a gathering with Mr. Putin on Monday and in a video launched on Monday displaying the protection minister visiting navy positions, apparently days earlier.

Mr. Lukashenko on Tuesday supplied his first public perception into how the rebellion ended, presenting himself as a central determine within the drama, together with some veiled criticism of all concerned, together with Mr. Putin.

He spoke with Mr. Putin at 10:10 a.m. on Saturday, he mentioned, they usually mentioned the opportunity of killing the Wagner chief. He mentioned he had urged warning, and had assured the Russian chief that “a nasty peace is healthier than any battle.”

Later, he mentioned, he spoke with Mr. Prigozhin, attempting to steer him to face down and warning him that the Russians would “squash him like a bug.”

“It was distinctive,” he mentioned of the dialog with Mr. Prigozhin. “There have been 10 instances extra swear phrases — I later analyzed — than regular vocabulary.”

Mr. Lukashenko appeared to acknowledge that the strain between Mr. Shoigu and Mr. Prigozhin had been allowed to spiral uncontrolled. “Two individuals who fought on the entrance collided,” he mentioned.

The Belarusian chief mentioned that neither he, Mr. Putin nor Mr. Prigozhin had emerged as “heroes” from the weekend upheaval — that they had “missed the state of affairs, after which we thought that it will resolve, but it surely didn’t resolve.”

“It was painful to observe the occasions that passed off within the south of Russia,” he added. “Not just for me. A lot of our residents took them to coronary heart as a result of the Fatherland is one.”

Mr. Lukashenko has managed to carry onto energy for 29 years, however at a value. Belarus has more and more develop into a repressive vassal state of Russia, handled as a pariah by the West and depending on Moscow for assist. He received Kremlin backing in 2020, when he violently crushed a democracy motion difficult his declare to a landslide re-election win. In 2022 he let Mr. Putin use Belarus’s territory as a staging floor for his invasion of Ukraine, and he just lately allowed Russia to station tactical nuclear weapons in his nation.

He was motivated to intervene within the Wagner mutiny, Mr. Lukashenko mentioned bluntly, as a result of “if Russia collapses, we’ll stay below the rubble — we’ll all die.”

Like Mr. Lukashenko, Viktor V. Zolotov, the top of Russia’s nationwide guard, could have come out forward within the energy battle. He advised reporters after Mr. Putin’s speech that he was “consistently in contact with the president” in the course of the riot and that his troops had been able to “struggle to the loss of life” to defend Moscow.

Mr. Zolotov, a former bodyguard to Mr. Putin, mentioned he had already mentioned with the president the necessity to present his pressure — which is separate from the navy — with “tanks and long-range heavy weaponry.”

“This can be a very pressing query proper now,” he mentioned, in keeping with the Tass state information company. “We are going to introduce this into the forces.”