Russian President Vladimir Putin insists the military mutiny over the weekend was a criminal act staged by "traitors."
While Wagner boss Prigozhin defended the insurrection, Western countries have denied involvement.
President Vladimir Putin didn't mince words in a late-night television address.
(Courtesy of Reuters)
While thanking the Russian people for their unity, Putin condemned the armed rebellion over the weekend, insisting "traitors" were trying to "split and weaken" the country.
He went on to call it a betrayal and said the "suicidal" outcome was exactly what Russia's enemies wanted.
He also praised troops for preventing the revolt from becoming a major bloodshed.
But he never blasted the Wagner group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, by name.
In his first audio message since fleeing to Belarus, Prigozhin claimed he was driven by failings in the war.
He taunted Russia's military officials for their unprofessional actions and said he aborted the planned march to Moscow just because he didn't want to shed Russian blood.
He also denied plotting a coup against Putin and boasted about Russians' support for him.
(Courtesy: Associated Press)
Still, Russia's state TV blasted the revolt calling it crazy and senseless.
(Russia 1 TV)
The feud between the Wagner Group leader and Moscow has festered throughout the war.
It escalated into mutiny when mercenaries left Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
They had headed straight to Moscow before turning back on Saturday.
After presenting awards to Ukrainian soldiers, President Zelensky claimed frontline Ukrainian advances "in all directions."
NATO's Secretary General denied any Western complacency.
Jens Stoltenberg admitted, "It is hard to predict exactly what will now happen in the next days and weeks, but we should not make the mistakes that we are underestimating the Russians."
U.S. President Joe Biden is adamant the West was not involved in the revolt.
"We made clear that we were not involved. We had nothing to do with it. This is part of a struggle within the Russian system," he said at an Investing in America event.
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