Iran Press/ Europe: The Kremlin announced that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has expressed his support for the Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the failed armed rebellion against the Russian army, Sputnik news agency reported.
In this phone call, which was initiated by the Saudi side, the Saudi Crown Prince expressed his support for Moscow's acts in protecting constitutional order, security, and the lives of citizens.
On Friday, the Wagner militia group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the Russian armed forces launched a missile attack on the group's camp. The Russian Ministry of Defense denied the claims, but the group's forces took control of several civilian buildings in Rostov and moved towards Moscow.
In a televised speech, Putin described the acts by Wagner mercenary Leader Prigozhin as an armed rebellion and treason. On the same day, Putin ended this case through the mediation of his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko.
As a result of the negotiations, Prigozhin halted the movement of his forces in Russia and ordered them to retreat to their camps.
Putin says security services ‘prevented civil war’ amid Wagner mutiny fallout
Vladimir Putin has appeared outside at the Kremlin to tell members of Russia’s security services that they “essentially prevented a civil war” during Yevgeny Prigozhin’s armed mutiny, as a jet linked to the Wagner leader flew to Belarus from Russia.
“The people and the army were not on the side of the mutineers,” the Russian President told the assembled heads of Russia’s main domestic security services and the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, whom Prigozhin had sought to oust with his uprising, in the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square.
Putin then announced a minute’s silence for the army pilots that Wagner had shot down and killed during the uprising. There has been no official information about how many pilots died or how many aircraft were shot down during the mutiny.
Shortly after Putin’s comments, Viktor Zolotov, a secretive former bodyguard to Putin who now heads Rosgvardiya, Russia’s internal military force, claimed that the rebellion was “inspired by the west”.
“Western intelligence agencies were working – the rebellion was inspired by the west and superimposed on Prigozhin’s ambitions,” Zolotov said.
He added that Rosgvardiya, a force used to suppress internal dissent, would be equipped with heavy weapons and tanks following Prigozhin’s rebellion. “The issue was discussed with the president,” Zolotov said.
Earlier in the day, Russia’s FSB security service dropped a criminal investigation into Prigozhin over his armed mutiny. The Kremlin had earlier promised to drop charges against Prigozhin as part of a deal negotiated by the Belarusian president under which the Wagner leader was meant to move to Belarus.
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