Unless I am mistaken, shortly after this statement from Putin, the Wagner units went rogue. Coincidence, most likely. 

I thought Xiden was wrong about Putin being a dictator - that is a misnomer - supposed-dictators are largely not pure autarchs  - they're heads of oligarchies and are ultimately accountable to  their group for power/authority. 

Even Stalin was likely assassinated so I'm thinking it's exactly like the Mafia tradition where "made" guys aren't often wacked  by their own brotherhood. Instead, they're given a chance to conform to the consensus so that they can make "an informed decision" to comply.

Although unknown for certain, there is apparently evidence that Stalin was wacked -largely because nobody was left to object if he got wacked. Stalin may with his psychopathic, paranoid style of rule, have put himself in the unenviable position of being far-more popular/valuable as a corpse than alive. 

Putin would not risk being perceived as a "liability" to his peers. he is too shrewd for that.