Russia’s foreign minister defended this Friday that the country will be “stronger” after the aborted Wagner group uprising that shocked the Russian government last week.
“Russia has always come out of difficulties stronger and stronger […]. This time it will be the case again. We already feel that this process has begun.” said Sergei Lavrov at a press conference in Moscow.
Last Friday and Saturday, fighters from the paramilitary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, believed to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, seized several military installations in southern Russia before marching on Moscow.
The uprising ended Saturday evening with an agreement on Prigozhin’s exile to Belarus.
So far, neither unofficial nor official sanctions have been imposed on the mutineers and the security services (FSB) have said they have dropped charges against elements of the Wagner group, seen by many Western analysts as a sign of weakness on the part of the Kremlin.
Since then, Russian authorities have tried to return the situation to normal following these events, which, however, triggered one of the worst crises since Putin came to power in late 1999.
During a trip to Russia’s South Caucasus, Putin said on Wednesday that he “never doubted” popular support during the armed uprising in Wagner.
The Russian president even went for a walk, greeted people and took a photo, a rare public occurrence, according to footage broadcast on state television.
About this episode, the France-Presse news agency (AFP) said it could not confirm the veracity of the scene, questioning its spontaneity.
“Thank you for being concerned about our national interests, but it is not necessary,” Lavrov added this Friday, in response to a question from a foreign media.
Source: DN
