Putin: Russian military stopped civil war

The military and law enforcement officers who suppressed the military coup organised by PMC Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin actually stopped the civil war, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech addressing security forces and the military.

"You have defended the constitutional order, life, security and freedom of our citizens. You have saved our Motherland from havoc, you have actually prevented the civil war,” Putin said while speaking on the front porch of the Faceted Palace in the Kremlin.

Those who stopped the rebels proved their loyalty to both the people of Russia and the military oath. The military and law enforcement officers have shown responsibility for the fate of the country and its future, he added.

The head of PMC Wagner announced the beginning of the coup on June 24 at night. The same day, Wagner fighters occupied the building of the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the centre of Rostov-on-Don. PMC Wagner military hardware was then spotted in Voronezh and Lipetsk regions. It was subsequently reported that columns of PMC Wagner military hardware were moving in the direction of Moscow.

Following negotiations with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin announced that his columns and fighters would return to field camps. On June 27, the FSB dropped the case of armed rebellion against Prigozhin.