Russian President Vladimir Putin has averted the danger of civil war in the country. But President Vladimir Putin’s leadership is being questioned after the coup by the private army Wagner Group. On Monday once again the chief of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has made a statement and clarified the coup. He also told the reason behind why he rebelled. Amidst all this, President Putin addressed the nation and thanked the people of the country for showing unity.
#BREAKING Putin to make ‘series of important statements’ tonight: state TV pic.twitter.com/qFuCLmNpE8
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 26, 2023
'Putin blames Russia's enemies'
Putin, seen for the first time since the coup, also challenged the rebels. He said that all necessary measures have been taken to protect the country and people from insurgency. He blamed 'Russia's enemies' for the whole incident and said he had miscalculated. He also met the security service chief, the defense minister and other top officials in the Kremlin.
#UPDATE Putin said Monday that rebelling Wagner fighters could join the Russian army, leave for Belarus or even return to their homes.
He then held a meeting with top security officials attended by a key target of the mutiny, Defence Minister Shoigu.
➡️ https://t.co/JHQhHubr0s pic.twitter.com/D8brDtADEo
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 26, 2023
'Didn't want a coup...'
Earlier Private Army chief Yevgeny Prigozhin defended the coup decision. He did not want to rebel but wanted to prevent his private army from exterminating Wagner, the statement said. We started our march because of injustice. However, he did not give any information on where he is at this time or what his plans are.
'The US or NATO have nothing to do with the coup' US President Joe Biden described the coup as 'part of a struggle within the Russian system'. He discussed this in a conference call with key colleagues. He said that Putin should not blame the West or NATO countries for this. We made it clear that we are not involved in this. We have nothing to do with it. The NATO chief said the attack on Ukraine showed Putin had made a 'big strategic mistake'.
