Russian invasion Russian reactions

  

Russian invasion Putin in a meeting with his Security Council. Gavriil Grigorov / AP  

 

Russian invasionRussian reactions  

Putin thanks military leaders for stopping the revolt  

 

On Monday evening, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked the heads of the country's defense and security services for stopping the weekend's revolt attempt by the Wagner group, writes AFP. The thanks were given during a meeting where Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who has been severely criticized by the Wagner Group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, was one of the participants.  

 

However, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov did not appear in photos from the meeting, writes the news agency. Gerasimov, together with Shoigu, has been singled out as guilty of the Russian setbacks during the Ukrainian war by Prigozhin. 

 

Earlier in the evening, Putin gave a short televised speech in which he said that soldiers in the Wagner group can choose between joining the Russian army or being granted sanctuary in Belarus. He also said that those who were behind the attempted revolt should be punished.

 

Vladimir Putin. Gavriil Grigorov / AP  

 

Russian invasionWagner rebellion  

Putin: Wagner soldiers can join the Russian army or get asylum in Belarus  

 

On Monday evening, Vladimir Putin spoke for the first time on Russian television after the weekend's attempted coup. He said that those behind the uprising are traitors who will be brought to justice, and that what happened was "exactly what the West and Ukraine want": Russian soldiers killing each other. 

 

But he also said that many soldiers in Wagner groups are "patriots" and he thanks those who did not participate in the uprising. He further said that those Wagner soldiers who so wish will be given sanctuary in Belarus if they do not want to join the Russian army. 

 

Putin did not mention Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin by name during the five-minute speech. Before the speech, the Kremlin had announced that Putin would make "a series of important statements" during the evening. 

 

Previously, it was said that the President of Belarus Lukashenko would also speak, but this was later retracted, writes The Guardian.  

 

According to the state-run Russian news agency Interfax, Putin will meet with several Russian security services and the Russian defense minister on Monday evening. 

 

Red Square in Moscow. Dmitri Lovetsky / AP 

 

The White House was in contact with Russia during the revolt  

 

US and Russian diplomats were in contact during the weekend's attempted coup in Russia. This was said by US Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Monday evening, writes AFP. The turn of events prompted the White House to fear the collapse of nuclear nation Russia. 

 

- Instability in Russia is something we take seriously and we had many questions over the weekend, said Kirby.  

 

He said that through diplomatic contacts, the countries could talk to each other in real time during the revolt. 

 

US President Joe Biden. Evan Vucci/AP  

 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Biden: The US or NATO were not involved in the insurgency  

 

The US or NATO have nothing to do with the Wagner group's attempted coup in Russia this weekend. US President Joe Biden said that on Monday. 

 

- This is part of a struggle within the Russian system, Biden said.  

 

He also said that it is still too early to draw any definitive conclusions about the consequences of the attempted uprising, and that he has informed Ukrainian President Zelensky that US support for Ukraine remains regardless of what happens in Russia. 

 

Liz Truss. Eugene Hoshiko / AP  

 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Truss: Must prepare for Russia to collapse  

 

Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss calls on the British government to develop an action plan in case Russia collapses, writes Sky News. The call came during a parliamentary debate after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called this weekend's attempted uprising "the worst challenge to President Putin's authority yet". At the same time, 

 

The Times reports that the government's internal assessments also state that the country needs to prepare for a situation where the Putin regime collapses.  

 

According to the information, Britain has long seen political instability in Russia as a possible consequence of the war in Ukraine. But this weekend's dramatic turn of events must have caused British diplomats to hastily start preparing for different scenarios. 

 

- We have to wait and see what happens now. This could be the first chapter of something new, says a government source to the newspaper.