New Delhi: Russia on Saturday warned the West against taking advantage of the armed insurrection carried out by Wagner mercenary group in the country to achieve what Moscow termed as their “anti-Russian” goals, news agency AFP reported. “We warn the Western countries against any hint of possible use of the domestic Russian situation to achieve their Russophobic goals,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. “All goals and objectives of the special military operation will be fulfilled,” the statement added, using the Kremlin-preferred term for Moscow’s large-scale military intervention in Ukraine.
#UPDATE Russia warned the West on Saturday against taking advantage of an armed insurrection carried out by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia to achieve what Moscow said were their “anti-Russian” goals. pic.twitter.com/syd1okuQHy
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 24, 2023
Meanwhile, the United States on Saturday announced that it will stay in “close coordination” with its allies and partners as the Wagner fighters take control of some military facilities in southern Russia.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke with his G7 and EU counterparts and decided to stay in in close coordination with the allies.
Spoke today with G7 Foreign Ministers and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia. The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 24, 2023
Blinken spoke with all of his G7 counterparts from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the State Department said. “Secretary Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a release, as reported by news agency Reuters.
Notably, Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin captured the first city in Russia, Rostov-on-Don, in the country’s first armed insurrection since the Chechen wars on Saturday. Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Prigozhin vowed to overthrow Moscow’s military leadership, as the Wagner militia were in control of the streets of Rostov-on-Don, a city close to the Ukraine border.
Vowing to crush the mutiny, President Vladimir Putin, in a televised address, said, “Excessive ambitions and vested interests have led to treason. It is a blow to Russia, to our people. And our actions to defend the Fatherland against such a threat will be harsh. All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people.”
