The Russian State Duma is working on a law on the future of the Wagner Group, which brought Russia to the brink of civil war with its attempted mutiny against Moscow, CNN reports, citing Defense Committee chief Andrei Kartapolov.

“Wagner’s fate has not been determined, but it is not necessary to ban it, as it is a combat-ready unit and there are questions about its leadership, not the fighters,” Kartapolov told Russian business daily Vedomosti on Sunday.

Kartapolov’s comments echo those of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said on Saturday that an agreement had been reached to “return Wagner to its bases. Those mercenaries who wish to do so will then sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense – this concerns those who did not take part in the march to Moscow” Prigozhin ordered.

And while it remains unknown where the head of Wagner is at this time and if he is already in Belarus as stipulated in the agreement, today the Russian newspaper Kommersant, citing an unnamed source, reported that Yevgeny Prigozhin remains under investigation by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on suspicion of organizing an armed rebellion.

And while rumors wanted the removal of Russia’s Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, as a condition of the deal for the Wagner fighters to withdraw, state television today broadcast footage of Shoigu visiting troops fighting in Ukraine. This is his first appearance since the Wagner mercenary mutiny at the weekend. The Defense Secretary was seen inspecting the troops – but there is no indication of where or when the pictures were taken.

According to Western analysts, the prestige of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has been damaged, and as CNN reports, it was surprising that Prigozhin’s fighters got within striking distance of Moscow, despite the fact that they were not supported by regular Russian troops. army although some may have chosen not to face them.

For the West, the occupant of the Kremlin is now weak. Speaking to the American television network NBC, the Secretary of State of the United States, Anthony Blinken, spoke of “real cracks in Moscow’s facade” while adding that “16 months ago the president of Russia appeared ready to occupy the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, and, now, he had to defend the Russian capital, Moscow.’

On the same wavelength are the statements of the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, who said: “The monster that Putin created with Wagner is now biting him. The monster acts against its creator.”

For his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the failed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group shows that Moscow made a strategic mistake by launching a war against Ukraine.

“The events of the weekend are an internal issue of Russia and at the same time another reflection of the big strategic mistake made by President (Vladimir) Putin with the illegal annexation of Crimea and the war against Ukraine,” he told reporters during a visit to Vilnius Lithuania.