Alwaght- Russian President Vladimir Putin has delivered an address to the nation amid a coup attempt by the private military company Wagner. He described the mutineers’ actions as “backstabbing” and called for unity.
Late on Friday, PMC Wagner’s boss Evgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian military of striking his group’s base – something the defense ministry has strongly denied.
In reaction, the Russian authorities launched a criminal probe into Prigozhin over calling for a mutiny in the army ranks.
Putin has called for unity in his address, saying: “Russia is today waging a grueling fight for its future,” facing off with the “neo-Nazis and their masters.” He went on to stress that “essentially the entire might of the West’s military, economic and information machine” is being directed against the country, according to Russian broadcaster RT.
“This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided,” calls for national unity and consolidation, Putin said in his address. According to the president, all internal conflicts and bickering must be put aside at present as “our external enemies can and use them to undermine us internally.”
He stressed that any actions driving a wedge between Russians are nothing short of “backstabbing of our country and our people.”
Putin reminded the Russians of similar scenario in 1917 when the country was in the middle of WWI.
“Russians were killing Russians, brothers were killing brothers, while various political adventurers and foreign powers were capitalizing on it,” the president said.
Putin vowed to prevent this from happening as well as to defend Russia and its people, “including from internal mutiny.”
What measures are taken?
“All the necessary orders have been issued to the armed forces and other authorities,” Putin revealed. He added that a special anti-terrorist security protocol had been enacted in Moscow, Moscow Region and several other locations.
The Russian president acknowledged that the situation in Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, remains “difficult,” with the functioning of local civil and military authorities being “effectively blocked.” However, the state will take “decisive actions to stabilize” the situation in the city.
Concluding his address to the nation, President Putin promised to do everything he could to defend the “country, [and] defend the constitutional order, life, security and liberty of citizens.”
