Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked the nation on Monday for unity after an armed rebellion over the weekend was aborted less than 24 hours after it began. Earlier in the day, the mercenary chief defended his short-lived insurrection in a boastful statement. In his first appearance since the rebellion ended, Putin also thanked most of the mercenaries for not letting the situation deteriorate into bloodshed.
He said all necessary measures have been taken to protect the country and the people from the rebellion. He blamed Russia's enemies and said they miscalculated. The Kremlin also tried to project stability on Monday when authorities released a video of Russia's defense minister reviewing troops in Ukraine.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary group, said he wasn't seeking to stage a coup but was acting to prevent the destruction of Wagner, his private military company. We started our march because of an injustice, he said in an 11-minute statement, giving no details about where he was or what his plans were.
The feud between the Wagner Group leader and Russia's military brass has festered throughout the war, erupting into a mutiny over the weekend when mercenaries left Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city. They rolled seemingly unopposed for hundreds of miles toward Moscow before turning around after less than 24 hours on Saturday.