JABAR EKSPRES – The Wagner mercenary rebellion against the Kremlin shows Russia internal fragility, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said.
“This uprising has revealed Russia’s conflicts, rifts, divisions and even internal weaknesses,” Colonna told a press conference in Paris with the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
However, Colonna did not dare to draw conclusions from the dispute, stating he would have to analyze the situation first.
He reiterated France’s support for Ukraine and welcomed the EU’s 11th sanctions package against Russia.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said it was too early to analyze the situation and the impact of Wagner’s move on Russia.
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According to Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, the Baltic states should prioritize measures to strengthen their defense capacity instead of dealing with Russia’s domestic issues.
However, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielus Landsbergis noted that the developments in Russia over the weekend have shown just how immediate a threat Moscow poses to its neighbors.
The dispute between Wagner and the Kremlin occurred when Wagner accused the Russian Defense Ministry of attacking its fighters.
Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ordered his troops to cross the Ukrainian-Russian border into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, and mobilized the mercenary group to move toward Moscow.
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Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Wagner’s actions amounted to “armed rebellion”. They opened a criminal case against Prigozhin.
But before arriving in Moscow, Prigozhin and his fighters decided to retreat “to avoid bloodshed”.
On Monday (26/6), Prigozhin claimed he had no plans to overthrow the Russian government as he only wanted to “voice his protest” and prevent his mercenaries from being disbanded.
He said the Russian Defense Ministry plans to sign contracts with all Wagner fighters on July 1.
