Putin Greets Crowds on Walkabout in Dagestan

Russian President Vladimir Putin met locals in Derbent, Dagestan, late on Wednesday, June 28, the Kremlin said, his first non-official public appearance since Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s short-lived revolt last week.

The Kremlin released footage of people greeting Putin at a public fountain in the city of Derbent, in the majority-Muslim region.

One Russian influencer said Putin also visited a local mosque to mark the Eid al-Adha holiday.

It was the president’s first public outing since Prigozhin’s dramatic announcement at the weekend that his Wagner paramilitary forces would march on Moscow, a move he then called off.

Putin earlier in the week addressed members of the security forces outside the Kremlin. Credit: Kremlin via Storyful